A Heart's Reawakening and the Avenging Angels
by rsman26
Summary: After a devastatingly tragic event Harry must learn to love again, he finds this in the arms of an old friend, whom had always been so much more.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, J.K Rowling does, that why she's rich and I'm not.**_

A Heart's Reawakening.

Chapter 1

Harry laid in pure misery, sweating profusely, tossing and turning furiously in his bed. The images of that night, that horrible night flashed furiously in his mind. He could see it, the scene unfold and like before he couldn't reach her in time to stop it. He screamed in pain into the night, "GINNY, GINNY, NO."

His eyes opened, he shot straight up in his bed while the scene still flashed before his eyes. He was breathing as if he'd just ran a marathon as he looked around into the darkness of his small bedroom here in his small flat in London.

He swung his legs off the bed and placed his head in his hands, trying to stop shaking and steady his breathing. These nightmares had become a nightly reality for Harry. Assaulting his mind with a cruel and merciless strength. Making him relive the single worst day he ever had the terrible misfortune of living through. More than once he had wished it would have been him, him that had died that night.

He got up and made his way to the living room of his small apartment and reached for a bottle of headache relief potion, which he had become very used to taking, as these nightly encounters had always left him with a nausea inducing migraine.

He downed the bottle in one and tried to clam his nerves. He knew he couldn't though, no matter how hard he tried his mind, like it always had would take him back, take him back to that time.

_________________________________________

_7 Years Prior_

Harry had just graduated from Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. He was immensely pleased that he finished so well, having finished with top marks in most of his N.E.W.T's. It had been a year since he had ended the war by vanquishing his hated enemy, lord Voldemort. He was never happier, really he was never relieved. His life it seems had always been lived to achieve this end, now that he finally had his life back it was finally his own to live, without a constant mortal torment striving to erase his presence from the world.

His best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had also returned to Hogwarts with him and both had finished well. Hermione much more so but Ron did well enough, thanks in large part to Hermione's constant assistance. Which if he was being honest with himself also aided Harry a great deal.

Ron and Hermione had been together since the night of the final battle, where they finally admitted to each other the feelings they've stored for the other for so long. Harry was pleased for the most part, he wasn't overjoyed though. A piece of himself deep in his soul didn't like seeing them together but he for the life of him didn't know why.

He didn't linger long on the thought though as once the final battle had been fought and won his eye immediately fell on a certain Redheaded beauty who always set his soul a blaze with a painfully burning desire. It was more though, much more. For a while now, since his sixth year he had come to the realization that he in fact was in love with Ginny Wealey, the sister of his best friend and the only person who had ever looked in his eyes with nothing but tender compassion and abounding affection.

Harry had a gift for looking into people's eyes and reading what was behind them, with others he always saw things that made him feel uncomfortable. There was either pity, for the life he had been forced to lead. Questioning as to whether or not he could pull off a feat as unimaginable as defeating the most powerful dark wizard of all time. Or there was suspicion, as to whether he, Harry Potter deserved the recognition he had always received. Some of his best friends had been guilty of this one, Ron mostly so.

But not Ginny, she always told him with her eyes that in her heart she saw only what was best in him and for this simple peace she had fed his soul with Harry truly loved her.

He told her this the day before all of them would be returning to school. They were all staying at the burrow and as many times before Ron and Hermione had slipped away to find some quiet time to themselves. Leaving Harry and Ginny alone for the most part, Mrs. Weasley being busy with last minute preparations.

They both sat quietly on the steps outside the kitchen door, enjoying a warm summer breeze. Harry watched as the wind flowed through Ginny's fiery red hair, causing it to rise in a beautiful dance of amazing perfection. Harry just stared at her, his heart pumping harder than it had ever, much harder than when he had faced his enemy, that was easy, much easier than this he thought.

Harry hadn't revealed his feelings to her since the final battle. He was so afraid that after he had left her at the end of his sixth year she wouldn't be able to forgive, or see what was done was necessary for her safety.

But there was nothing for it, he was in love with her, and he knew if he didn't at least tell her so he'd always live with that regret, and he had so many he was already dealing with he really didn't need to add another to the mix.

"Ginny," he said quietly, trying to keep his voice steady, sounding casual but doing a piss poor job.

"Yes Harry," she answered quietly, locking her eyes firmly on his. He found it hard to look into their depths, it was like staring into the suns center.

"Well," he started but realizing now that he had plucked up the courage he really didn't know where to begin, "there's just so much I've wanted to say to you since that night, the night the war ended, I just haven't found the courage," he stated humbly.

"Harry," she said in a light tone, "You don't ever have to be afraid to be real with me, I can handle whatever it is, now please tell me what you've wanted to say."

"Well, first off I just wanted to apologize for leaving you, I only did it because I thought naively it would keep you safe, really it wasn't what I wanted, I never wanted to hurt you, I hope you can believe that," he said softly looking her in the eyes so she could read the truth of his statements.

"I'm not going to lie to you Harry it did hurt, a lot, I don't know why but I really thought it was because you didn't want to be with me anymore, I didn't think I was pretty enough, smart enough, good enough to have your heart," she said looking away, her tone speaking to the pain she felt.

He gently took her head and made her face him once again, "Ginny, how could you think that, your all of those things and more, your so smart, so good, and so beautiful that staring at you actually causes me physical pain, these eyes look at you and see such beauty, its as if nature carved each line, each curve with its masterful hand just to show the world what true beauty really is, to show off it's artistry to the world. You Ginny are natures masterpiece, a representation of the truth behind the word beauty," he said, finding his voice as he went, putting all of his heart, the true convictions of his soul into each and every word, letting her not only see but hear as well that from deep within himself he was speaking the truth.

Ginny just stared at him, not knowing what to say at first, never in her life had anyone described her in such terms, it made her heart dance inside her chest. She saw his eyes and knew, she knew he really felt these things, that they weren't just sweet nothings whispered callously, they were the truth as he felt them deep inside his being.

"Harry, No ones ever said anything like that to me, I don't know what to say," she replied, a wealth of tender affection flooding her eyes as her check flushed.

"It's the truth, I've just never had the nerve to say as much out loud, but ever since the end of the war I've seen things much clearer. I've seen how I want my life to be," he said firmly, taking her hand, causing her pulse to quicken.

"And how would you like your life to be Harry,' she asked softly.

"I want a life of peace, joy, and endless love and I want them with you, Ginny, I Love You, and not like a sister, I am truly and deeply from the depths of my heart in love with you, and I see now that that's a truth that will always be. No matter what happens, I will always love you," he said letting all the emotions that went with the sentiment flow through each word.

She again just stared blankly at him for a moment, he began to look away, fearing rejection was just around the bend. He was caught off guard though when he was tackled hard to the ground. He looked up to find her smiling from both ears while on top of him. He smiled back as she lowered her head and kissed him with such a deep passion that Harry's blood began to boil. He relished the feelings of her soft warm lips pressed firmly to his. It was the nectar of the gods, never in his life had he tasted anything so sweet, so alive, so right.

At last after they had nearly suffocated each with their lips they parted, she stared down at him and let her eyes tell him what her lips were about to, "I Love You too Harry Potter, with all my heart, and like you that will never change," she said, then she punched him rather hard in the arm.

"OW" he said smiling, rubbing his arm though not really feeling the pain through the euphoria that was now washing over his entire body at her response, "What was that for?"

"For leaving me, even if it was for noble reasons, never ever do it again," she said beaming down at him.

He looked up, returning it, "No my love, never again," he said smiling, pulling her into another long kiss full of the love and passion he felt for her.

The news of there newly coupled status washed through the burrow, eliciting heart felt joy from most, Mrs. Weasley being preeminent amongst them. Ron wasn't overly thrilled, fearing Harry would once again toy with his sisters emotions and toss her callously aside. He really didn't understand his best friend at all. His fears were assuaged after a heartfelt discussion with Harry, and a threat of dire pain from Ginny that if he tried to stand in their way.

He need not have worried though, Harry and Ginny's true and deep love was apparent to all who saw them together. They couldn't hide it, not that they wanted to. It poured out of them each and everyday, shining through them like a brilliant light held deep inside.

They were so blissfully happy as they both left school, both finding their careers. He and Ron both enrolled in the Auror training academy. Both found it extremely difficult and rather grueling, but by the skin of their teeth's they made it, Harry with top honors, being made Captain right after.

Hermione persuaded Ginny to join her at the prestigious Healer academy of Britain, also in itself quite a difficult calling. Ginny was hesitant at first not sure if that was what she really wanted, but since she hadn't manage to make it onto any of the Qudditich teams she tried out for she hesitantly accepted.

Once inside Ginny found she rather enjoyed it, very much so, it was like a calling she never knew she had. She like the idea that in a small part she could help ease the world's pain somewhat, and try to heal its wounds.

And she thought it good to know these things since Harry was choosing such a dangerous career. He was now her now fiancé, Harry having purposed it the moonlight on their final night at Hogwarts, to which she accepted before he could even finish the question. They consummated their union that night and Ginny found something she liked better than Qudditich.

They both made through their respective academies and settled into their careers, both finding it filled them with a certain pride, knowing they had true purposes in the world.

They were married six months later at a beautiful ceremony held at Potter manor, the house, well really the mansion his parents had left him. It was where they made their home and each were so delirious with true happiness it blinded them somewhat. Both thinking nothing could touch them as long as they were with the other. They were wrong, it seems that such beauty, such love, such truth isn't meant to last.

It was a quiet evening. A cool spring breeze rolled gently throughout the land, making all seem deceptively peaceful. The truth wasn't what it seemed.

Harry and Ginny walked arm in arm down the street, smiling, letting the breeze blow through them. They had just finished a nice celebratory dinner at a very nice upscale muggle restaurant. The occasion, Ginny just found out what she had suspected, that she was in fact three months pregnant with her and Harry's first child, a son they learned from the scans whom they had already decided to name James.

They were blissfully unaware of the masked man watching from a dark ally as they approached. Just as they made it to the ally he leapt from its shadowy depths, brandishing what Harry recognized from his training to be a 38. Snub nose special.

Harry froze, still holding Ginny tightly to him. The masked man had the gun aimed right for Ginny's heart and Harry knew he would never be able to reach his wand in his shoulder holster before the bastard got a shot off. He decided it best to comply. Harry reached slowly into his pocket and handed the man his wallet. He then demanded the emerald necklace that hung around Ginny neck, a gift from Harry, a Potter family heirloom.

The masked bandit rushed forward to seize it, Harry acted instinctively in a need to protect his wife and rushed forward and seized the mans wrist, Harry fought hard but the villainous son of a bitch managed to get a shot off, it tearing through the night, finding its way straight through Ginny's heart. She fell hard to the ground. Harry looked down at her as the man began to run, Harry drew his wand and stunned him from behind. He then knelt and felt for a pulse, finding none he knew the horrible truth, the bullet had ended her life. He cried in such pain that even the stars could hear his anguish. He looked over to the masked man who had taken his world away from him.

He was trying to rise, feeling dazed. In blind rage Harry rushed over and tackled him hard to the ground. He spun the man onto his back and at once began pounding the man violently with both hands. How long it lasted, Harry didn't know, he didn't register it until his hands were striking not a head any loner but just now a bloody pulp. In the terrible fury of his wrath he beat the man to death with his bare hands.

After he registered this fact he made his way quickly back to the form of his fallen wife, he knelt and held her lifeless form, bringing her head to his chest, kissing her head as tears of stark and cruel pain fell freely from his eyes. Once again he cried in utter agony into the night.

_________________________________________

Now here he was, brought back from these painful memories. 3 years had past since that tragic night and still Harry felt no relief from the pain he constantly carried deep inside of him. He visited it, each and every night. And each time he wondered the same thing, would his numb and limp organ that beat in his chest ever again learn how to feel, learn how to love.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry sat in his large arm chair, looking blankly out the window in his small flat. He moved here shortly after his wife's murder, not being able to return to Potter Manor. That place no longer felt like a home. Now it was just a shrine to all he had lost in his life. He had thrown himself fully into his work ever since Ginny had died. Trying to take his blinding need for vengeance out on the scum that littered his world.

For this he had garnered a reputation for being the hardest hitting Auror ever to walk the streets of Britain. So much though that a popular threat amongst the criminals in his world was, "Do as I say or I'll sick Potter on you." This statement alone was enough to fill the hearts of these villains with dread.

But no matter how many he removed from the streets it was never enough, never enough to fill the hole that was in his heart. He looked out of the window and saw what he had been waiting for, the first bright rays of the new day peaking through. He rose, fully dressed and ready and left his small flat.

Once outside he turned and apparated to the Ministry of Magic. He tore through the corridors, silently greeting several as he did. He made it off the lift and walked down the hall of the Auror Department. He walked into his office and waited for his partner to arrive. He was annoyed at his tardiness, even if it was just five minutes. Harry wanted to hit the streets. They were going to break up a ring of thieves who had been plundering muggle homes using magic to remove the muggles cherished belongings and selling them on the black market.

He looked up as Ernie Macmillan walked briskly through the door, whistling happily to himself while sipping a large cup of coffee.

"You're late," Harry grumbled.

"Jeeze five lousy minutes, you can't ever turn it off can you, now I know why your last partner quit" Ernie shot back.

Harry just glared at him, this wasn't entirely true, his last partner Ron had indeed left the Auror's department but it wasn't from quitting, he was unceremoniously drummed out by the Minister after he had bungled a rather important case. He had begun drinking heavily after his sister's death and while he never said it out loud Harry felt that when Ron looked at him he blamed Harry for her death.

Ron's drinking had become worse and he began showing up for duty slightly drunk. Harry should have called him out for this but he didn't, he felt too guilty about Ginny. So he carried Ron for as long as he could, until one night, when they were staking out a band of evil Wizards in Romania Ron slipped drunkenly to the ground, giving away their position causing the band of evil wizards to begin firing devastating curses at them, severely injuring two Romanian Aurors in the process. Harry finally managed with great effort to subdue them and he knew he couldn't hide Ron's shortcomings any longer.

Minister Shacklebolt received a very angry howler from the Romanian minister, saying Ron's carelessness had nearly cost the lives of two of his best men. After dressing Ron down for a full twenty minutes he gave him two options, check himself into rehab, or resign. Ron choose the latter, though no one outside of Harry, Hermione and Kingsley knew why.

Ron didn't bother finding a new career after this, he was merely content to live off his girlfriend, whom he treated like garbage, mentally abusing her each and every chance he got, and drinking himself into a stupor each and everyday. Harry for the life of him didn't understand why Hermione stayed with him, Harry thought her so strikingly beautiful that she could have her pick of men, but for some reason she stayed. Crying on Harry's shoulder more than once over this mistreatment.

She had been the biggest help to Harry after what happened to Ginny. In the months immediately after it happened, Harry was all but catatonic, not leaving his room and forgetting the outside world even existed.

It was Hermione who after jinxing his door off the hinges tore into his room and furiously picked him up out of the spiral of depression that was threatening to utterly consume him. She helped bring him back to the world of the living, showing him there were things in this world still worth fighting for, still worth living for.

After that something had awoken in Harry towards his best friend, something that had always been there, but he suppressed it deep down inside himself, never letting it rise to the surface. When they were going to school she had been off limits in his mind because he knew Ron had feelings for her as well. So he lied, lied to Ron, lied to the world, but mostly lied to himself.

Than he really fell in love with Ginny, which was unexpected but none the less true. And he would have lived happily with her forever if she hadn't been ripped violently from this world. So now he was alone, and he felt that was safest for all involved, everybody he ever let himself love was taken from him. He couldn't bear another loss like that.

He sighed and pushed these thoughts aside and let the Auror side of himself take over, he rose, meeting Ernie with a fierce gaze, "Are you ready, we have to take town that den of thieves today, the warrant finally came through," Harry said sternly.

"Can I at least finish my coffee," Ernie said exacerbated.

Harry just glared at him, giving him his answer with his eyes, "Fine let's go," Ernie finally said in defeat.

They apparated to a small dirty house on the south side of London, just off the river Thames. It wore a heavily neglected look and smelled every bit of a hideout of treacherous criminals. Harry looked at the dwelling, his eyes narrowing.

"OK, we're just going to serve the warrant and hopefully not meet much resistance," Ernie said hopefully.

Harry just shot him a sharp look, "Just follow my lead," he said firmly striding up to the cracking front door. He knocked loudly, hearing shuffling immediately inside.

"Open up, Aurors, we have a warrant," Harry ordered with a deadly force and verve.

No answer came so Harry drew his wand, and in a furious motion blasted the door off its hinges. He tore inside and was almost hit with three separate curses. Thanks to his training he had developed a graceful agility. He dodged all three curses, sending powerful stunning ones in response, at the three specky specimens inside. All finding their marks rendering the three outlaws unconscious. Harry made his way over to them, Ernie hesitantly following in his tracks.

"Check to see if the house is clear," Harry said, causing Ernie to nod. He had just began to stand when an arm reached around the corner from the small hallway. Ernie had not seen it, Harry had. The wand from the arm emitted a curse aimed at the unaware Ernie.

"Watch out," Harry cried, pushing Ernie roughly out of the way, letting the curse strike his shoulder, causing a huge gash to appear.

Harry's rage peaked, he saw red. He let his wand fall, blowing away half of the wall which concealed his attacker. The tall brown haired man fell hard. Harry was on him at once, turning him roughly and looking into his terrified eyes.

"Like to sneak up on people do you, you fucking coward," Harry cried on top of the man. Harry began pummeling him hard with devastating blows.

"Like to attack people from the shadows huh, like to try to kill Aurors, LIKE TO KILL PREGENANT WOMEN," Harry screamed in fury, raining blow after blow on the now unconscious man.

Ernie was now trying with all his strength to pull the enraged and dangerous Harry off him.

"Harry stop, stop, you're going to kill him, STOP," Ernie cried, but Harry heeded him not. Ernie finally had to pull his wand and stun Harry from behind.

Harry toppled off the man, the last thought that raced through his mind was the masked face of the man whom had stolen his life.

He awoke with a pounding headache and a throbbing shoulder in a soft bed at he now recognized as St. Mungo's.

He looked at the unmistakable form of Kingsley Shacklebolt looking down worriedly at him.

"Minister, what are you doing here, and where's that bastard McMillan, he stunned me, I'll kill him" Harry fumed.

"He's back at the Aurors department, processing you're days quarry, and its lucky for you he did curse you, you almost killed that man today and it's not the first time. I've overlooked it for to long now but I can't any longer. You're becoming a loose cannon, and I can't have that, you're too dangerous," Kingsley said solemnly.

Harry's eyes narrowed, his blood froze, "Your not giving me the sack are you, I mean its all I have, the job, it's all I have left," Harry said in desperation.

"No Harry, I'm not firing you, not permanently anyways, you are the best I've ever seen but your to reckless, you take to many chances, like you have a death wish," Kingsley said in a slow deep tone, catching Harry's eye, telling him silently that he knew this was the case, "you need a leave of absence though, to get your mind right, your still not over the scars of the past, and until you are your not of any use to me, please my friend, use the time well, heal, and I just don't mean your shoulder, I mean heal your soul," Kingsley said in a deep heartfelt tone.

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that," Harry spat in response.

"That's a question you'll have to answer yourself, I wish you luck and I hope to see you when you have, until then try to find it somewhere in this wide world, farewell" Kingsley said, turning and apparating away without another word.

Harry threw his head hard against the bed, heal my bloody soul, how the hell am I supposed to do that, he thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry sat impatiently, waiting for the orderly to return with his discharge paperwork. He longed to get the hell out of this place, he never liked hospitals, seeing his far share of them in his lifetime.

He paced back and forth in the room while Kingsley's words still rang furiously in his mind. Maybe he was right, maybe he was pushing things a little too far. All he ever wanted when he started was to be a good Auror, which all would agree he was, but now he was becoming something more, something darker.

He was a constantly fighting a battle, a battle we all must face. Between our light and dark sides, and for him the dark was winning. Everywhere he looked he saw evil, and in his desperate need to try and rid the world of it was he becoming like them himself, was he becoming evil. Maybe not fully, but he was defiantly losing himself. The sad fact about this truth was he didn't know how to change.

His wife's death still plagued his soul, like an unseen cancerous tumor, eating its way straight through. He hated feeling like this but he didn't know how to stop it. Whatever the cure this condition required seemed cruelly out of his grasp.

These thoughts raced through his mind when a slender figure swayed her way into his room. He smiled when he saw her, looking as beautiful as he'd ever seen her. She wore her thick brown hair shorter now, it hung loosely just of her shoulders. She moved with a delicate effortless grace, making even the mundane action of walking look like a magnificent dance. She smiled deeply to him as she entered, her dark chocolate eyes swimming in a rush of true concern.

"Hey Harry, sorry I haven't been by to see you since you've been awake, it's been kind of a busy morning," Hermione said in a lightly casual tone.

"It's ok Jeanie, don't worry about it," Harry said in response, causing her smile to deepen. Though she had never told him so she loved that nickname, no one ever used her middle name, he was the only one in the world ever to use it, which gave them something to share that was theirs and theirs alone.

It was infinitely better than some of the names Ron usually called her, which were monosyllabic at best, the most heavily used being, "OI You."

"Well I got your discharge paperwork here, I know how much you hate being here," she said.

"Well I'm not minding it much right now," Harry blurted out, causing him great surprise, he really didn't know where it had come from, but it was the truth.

She was caught by the sentiment, she looked up smiling, blushing slightly as she did, "Well you don't need to injury yourself every time you want to spend time with me, your always welcomed at our place, you know that, you know now that I think about it we haven't spend time together just talking and wasting waking hours in a while now, why don't you come by for dinner tonight, I know Ron would be glad to have you," she said brightly.

Harry's smile faded at the mention of his name, "No that's alright, I don't want to impose."

"Oh please Harry you of all people know your not an imposition, please come by," she said, just the tiny hint of pleading heard in her voice.

It wasn't lost on Harry, he hated disappointing her, but he also knew that if he were to go, giving his mood over what the minister had said and done that he'd be likely to pummel Ron the first time he said anything negative about Hermione, which if history could be trusted would be about thirty second after he arrived, of course he couldn't say that but a different idea came to mind. He did miss spending time with her, it had become a rarity for him. He had been throwing himself so much into his work he usually didn't get home until well after midnight, but since that problem was out of the way now he was free to rediscover their friendship.

"How about this, why don't you let me take you out to dinner tonight, just you and me, my treat," He suggested with a sly grin.

Hermione smiled at it, he always knew how to charm her, but she looked somewhat hesitant, "I don't know Harry, I mean Ron," she began but Harry cut her off.

"Come on Jeanie, you know he'll passed out before 6, its just dinner I mean honestly when was the last time you had a nice evening out," He asked firmly.

She had to think about this one, it had been a while. She had pretty much stopped going out with Ron, he always embarrassed the hell out of her when they did, he was usually drunk, and being so he seemed not to be able to keep his hands to himself. Causing a lot of angry encounters with pissed off boyfriends and husbands of felt up women.

She had to admit to herself she did like the idea quite a lot, she to missed just spending time with Harry. He had always been there for her and the feeling of peace and security she felt when she was with him was a feeling unrivaled in her mind. No one else made her pulse quicken so much, or made the world seem right like he did. She didn't know how long she had felt like this, longer than she would ever admit to herself. If she were being honest she would have admitted that it was Harry's face she saw when was dancing with Viktor Krum at the Yule ball. She would have to admit that when she saw Harry and Ginny kiss for the first time in the Gryffindor common room that in that moment she had would given anything, even her very soul to be the one with her lips pressed firmly against Harry's. But she wasn't, she was always his nerdish bookworm friend. If she were being honest with herself she would have to admit that she had been in love with Harry Potter for a long time, but sadly she wasn't being honest with herself.

But she still liked the idea of an evening out with him, "OK Harry, sounds lovely, what's say I drop by your place around seven," she said lightly.

He smiled deeply at her, "Sounds great."

Harry paced nervously up and down his small flat at around 6:45. He didn't know why he felt so incredibly nervous, it was just Hermione after all, just his friend Hermione, just his best friend who was truly the only person in the world he ever thought as beautiful as his wife. Really the only person he ever wanted to fully give himself to, the only person who could even have the slightest chance of filling the gaping hole in his heart. She was only Hermione, only his friend.

His heart leapt as he heard a soft rasp on his door. He quickly made his way over to the door and opened it. The sight of her standing on his doorstep caused his breath to stall. She looked unbelievably beautiful in a small black cocktail dress with a matching wrap. The fabric hugged her curves immaculately, as the soft silky fabric swayed softly in the evening breeze. The dress was cut well above the knees, showing off her perfect shapely legs. It was also strapless, showing her pale milky shoulders in the soft glow of the moonlight. Her hair was straight and sleek, and shined magnificently. Harry's throat went slightly tight, she was indeed breath taking.

"Hermione, that dress, its, its," was all he managed to get out.

"I take it you like it then," she said softly, turning to let him get a better view, for which he was very glad, the view from the back was as good if not better than the front, "I've been waiting for the right occasion to wear it."

"Well I feel honored you've decided to christened it with me, you look amazing Jeanie, really you do," he said honestly.

She blushed slightly, "Thank you Harry, you clean up pretty good yourself," she said now noting his appearance. He was hearing a black silk suit with a matching shirt. It was formfitting but not tight. It showed off his large arms and amazing chest, all thanks to his years of hard training. He wasn't wearing his glasses, which he didn't much anymore, instead choosing to sport a set of magically enchanted contact lenses which made his piercing green eyes look more striking than they normally did.

"So where are we going," she asked in excited anticipation.

"I was thinking Bertorelli's," he answered lightly.

She smiled in response, she loved that particular restaurant. Harry had taken her and Ginny there when they had graduated from the healers academy, "That sounds lovely, shall we go then," she said extending her elbow, into which Harry smoothly glided his arm, locking his in hers. They turned together and apparted away.

They reappeared a moment later in the ally behind the lovely Italian bistro. They walked briskly inside and gave their name to the matridee, Harry having made reservations that day. He happily showed them to a small table for two.

Once there Harry pulled out her chair and they settled in, making small talk about nothing seemingly important. They talked of their jobs and memories they shared of their past adventures.

Harry was thoroughly enjoying himself, he hadn't felt this light in a long time, and a starling fact slammed into his mind, not once since the evening began did he dwell on the scars of the past. This fact not only excited him, it frightened him a little as well.

Suddenly and without warning he had an overwhelming urge and it had to be addressed. He stood up and looked straight into her eyes, "Dance with me Jeanie," he requested softly.

She smiled and extended her hand. He pulled her to her feet and held her close. They began moving together with an elegant grace, as if their two bodies were joined, becoming one. They felt as if they were floating above the room, above the restaurant, above the world, they were joined, dancing together in the heavens, with her head resting on his firm chest with his resting atop hers.

They finally and hesitantly ended the dance and resumed their seat just as the waiter made it over to the table to inquire if they wanted dessert.

"What do you think Harry should we be bad," she said with a sexy smile, the entendre not lost on Harry.

"Well why don't we share an order of Tiramisu," He answered coyly, shooting her a charming smile.

She smiled deeply, he remembered, he remembered that was her favorite dessert, "sounds good," she said as the waiter made his way off to place their order.

The ate the delicious dessert from the same plate, neither taken their eyes from the other. Neither knew what was happening here between them, they didn't know, nor did they care.

After they were finished Harry paid the bill and rose, helping Hermione to her feet. They made their way outside, Harry holding the door for Hermione as she exited. These small chivalrous gestures touched Hermione, no one else, especially her so called boyfriend ever thought enough about her to bother.

"Well are you ready," Harry said extending his hand so they could apparate together.

"It's such a beautiful night, can't we walk," she softly asked. She was loath to see such a wonderful evening come to an end.

Harry smiled and nodded and took her hand. They walked slowly down the streets of London, enjoying the cool spring night. Hermione Shivered slightly against a chill wind and without thinking Harry took off his jacket and threw it around her shoulder. She smiled and wrapped it tightly around herself, taking in his musky scent. She always loved the way he smelled.

How long it lasted nether knew but both were sad when they finally made it to the front of Hermione's apartment building. They stood there looking deep into the others eyes, nether wanting to move.

Finally Hermione relented, "Well I guess I should go inside and see what sort of mess he's left for me," she said playfully.

In that moment Harry could no longer stand it, his heart, his soul leapt to life and he moved forward and firmly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to himself. He lightly brushed the surface of her lips with his. Her breathing stopped, her senses sharpened. She could feel his heart beating rapidly through his chest, hers was now rushing quickly to catch up. As their lips meet the night went hot and electric. She could feel the sparks in the air. She relished the feeling, having dreamt about it for so long, Harry's lips pressed firmly to hers. The kiss deepened and their lips parted Harry's tongue now eagerly probing the depths of her mouth, savoring the sweet nectar found within. Their tongues meet and furiously swirled around each other. They were in blissful oblivion, nothing in the world was real, nothing except them.

They finally broke apart, both were left breathless. She looked deep into his eyes, fully flushed now. He lowered himself to sample another taste of her lips when a stark reminder slammed into the back of her head, Ron. She was still with Ron and no matter how much she loved this feeling, of being in Harry's arms, or how long she had dreamt about being in them the sad fact was she was still with Ron, and she couldn't hurt him like this.

She pulled back, leaving Harry looking struck and a little hurt by her rejection. She hated seeing that in his eyes, "I am sorry Harry but I can't not as long as I'm with Ron, I'm sorry," she whispered.

The mention of Ron's name brought Harry slamming hard back down to earth. He felt himself a fool for believing that she could ever feel the same, that she could ever return the feelings of a person as damaged as he was. He had misread the situation, he now felt as if he had forced himself on his best friend, forever tainting what they had.

He wanted to tear his hair out, his mind was screaming at him for his presumption, his arrogance. He pulled back as well, a look of painful regret etched on his face.

It broke Hermione's heart to see it, "Please don't Harry, please don't blame yourself, I wanted it as much as you did, I just can't, not right now," she pleaded, needing him to understand this wasn't a rejection of him.

He didn't register that, he still felt horrible, "I'm sorry," he whispered before tearing down the street, once far enough away apparting into the night, leaving Hermione standing in the moonlight, a single tear seen in its blue illumination running painfully down her cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry flung the door to his small apartment open and tore furiously inside. He slammed it hard behind him, nearly knocking it off its hinges. He strode across his living room and violently upended his coffee table and collapsed on his black suede sofa. He placed his head between his knees and tried to steady his breathing. He was so angry with himself. He had to go and ruin a perfect evening with his disgusting and lustful advances, he thought. Now his best friend in the world probably hated him and would most likely never want to see him ever again.

He had been a fool, a fool to think she could ever see him as anything but a pathetic loser with a worthlessly used up and scarred heart. How could she, how could anyone ever find anything of worth in him. In many ways he still felt himself that sad, forgotten little boy still living in a small cupboard under the stairs on privet drive. Maybe his aunt and uncle had always been right, it seems even in his world he was an outcast, a freak. Everything he loves, everything he touches seems to get hurt somehow. He felt truly cursed, and he couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't subject the few remaining people he had left in his life to this plague, the plague that was Harry Potter.

He made up his mind, he knew what would be best for everybody. He had to leave, leave and never come back. He would leave no note, he would tell no one he would just disappear, he doubted anyone would mind much. Their lives would be better for it. Once gone Hermione would be free, free of the misery he carried with him. She would finally be free to be happy.

He got up and walked slowly into his bedroom. He opened the closet and found a familiar bag, the rut sack he had carried with him all during the final year of the war. It was good enough for him then and it's good enough for him now. He walked over to his dresser and packed all he thought he'd need. He would take no frills, no unnecessary items, only what he needed, pure simplicity.

He took his clothes, his wand, and his photo album. He had thought about leaving this behind but he couldn't bear the thought of not even having a small window in which he could look and remember a time, a small time in his life when he was truly happy. He walked out of his room and placed his bag at the front door, when dawns bright rays broke he would leave. He walked back over to the couch and once again slumped down upon it, still holding firmly to his vessel of cherished memories. He opened the album and looked, he looked at the smiling images of the past. He looked at pictures of his wife and he smiled as he remembered the times he had spent with her. He then turned to a picture, a picture of him and Hermione standing alone, their arms around each others shoulders taken during their final year at school, he would miss her, terribly, but he also knew, he knew this was what was best, now she could be happy, when morning broke he would leave and that would be the end of it.

Little did Harry know that while he was tormenting himself in his apartment Hermione was too finding misery raining upon her, but unlike Harry this wasn't self inflicted, no this was brutal misery rained upon her by her cruel and worthless 'boyfriend'.

Hermione stood in the street as she watched Harry apparate away. She felt like she had taken a violent blow to her stomach. She felt horrible, and really angry at her self. There he was, showing her the kind of love and affection she had always dreamt of, and which she was sorely lacking in her life. There he was making her dreams a reality and what did she do, not only did she mess it all up she hurt him as well. Way to go you Hermione, she thought. She had always stayed with Ron because she thought no one else would have her. She couldn't see what Harry saw when he looked at her, she didn't think herself beautiful, or smart, or having many qualities of noble worth. Years of torment and mental abuse will do that to you, it will tear you down and make you feel truly worthless. Really it had started before her and Ron got together, in many ways she was still the eager to please, over achieving nerd with large front teeth and frazzled bushy hair. Like Harry she too still felt like a frightened 11 year old, riddled and racked with insecurities.

But something was changing inside her, something awakening deep inside. She saw Harry's eyes tonight, they didn't lie, they never could. She read the affection he was feeling for her in them, he thought her beautiful, sexy, he found her desirable.

She looked up at her building, she knew what had to be done. After tonight she couldn't still consent to live a life of constant torment with a sorry drunken bastard like Ron, not now. Not now that she could see a chance for true happiness.

She walked with force and purpose up the stairs to her apartment and walked briskly inside. She saw her worthless 'boyfriend' slumped passed out on the couch. The sight sent waves of fury up and down her core. Fury for the years of torment she had been forced to endure at his hands. She slammed the door hard behind her, she wanted him to wake, she wasn't going to slink away, she wanted him to know her intentions.

He stirred feebly and sat up still clutching a half gone bottle of fire whiskey. He glared over at her with blurry and blood shot eyes.

"Oi you what's the idea slamming doors, and where the hell have you been, and bloody hell what are you wearing" he slurred.

"I told you earlier that I was going out to dinner with Harry," Hermione said hotly, he never listened to her.

"Did you now, and thought you'd get tarted up like a whore for precious Potter did you, Merlin you make me sick," he sneered.

"We need to talk Ronald," she fumed, needing to get this out before he pushed her too far and she cursed his sorry ass.

"Aye that we do you tart, that we do," Ron said walking until he was face to face with her, still clutching his bottle, "firstly if I ever see you go out showing off your worthless arse like that again I'll beat some sense into you, and second I don't want you hanging out with that Potter again, he's bad news, do you want to end up like my sister?"

This was to much for Hermione, she reared back and slapped him hard across the face, "Don't you dare say that you sorry bastard, what happened wasn't his fault, none of it was ever his fault, it was worthless pieces of shite like you, that are so driven by their self centered, egomaniacal, narcissistic asses that bring this evil into the world, and its people like Harry that have the curse of dealing with sorry pieces of filth like you. I'm leaving Ronald, and if you ever have the sense to pick yourself up out of this spiraling hole you've fallen into then maybe we can be friends again, until then don't even bother wasting your breath," She screamed in full fury, trying to push past him.

He grabbed her firm and held her by the shoulders, a look of dangerous rage born in his eyes, "Your not going anywhere you sorry little bitch, your mine and no one will ever have you, not that anyone would want a sorry mudblood like you anyway, no your mine and right now your going to put that whorish side of yourself to good use," He said as he tried to force his mouth into hers. She struggled hard against him, she could smell his noxious breath and it made her sick, she saw the sick lust in his eyes and something in her snapped.

She brought her knee up and in a devastating motion she drove it hard, very hard into his groin. His breath caught, his eyes crossed and he crumbled hard to the ground, cradling his pathetic and useless neither region. Hermione glared down at him, the blazing fires of hell alive in her eyes.

She held her wand down on him and she spoke in a lowly, dangerous tone, "You listen to me you miserable, worthless, pathetic, sorry excuse for a man if you ever come near me again I will kill you, read that truth in my eyes, you know I can do it to, you know your no match for me in a duel, your magic's as pathetic as that sorry spot of your manhood your now rubbing."

She turned and walked quickly out of the apartment, she had nothing more to say, she made him understand and now it was time to set things right with Harry the man she truly loved.

Harry still looked longingly at the pictures from his past, fondly reminiscing about good times long gone. His attention was torn from them by the unmistakable sound of furious knocking at his door, he looked over, who the hell could that be he wondered. He got up and walked over and opened the door.

The sight struck him hard, Hermione was standing there, breathing hard, a look of fiery passion alive in her eyes.

"Hermione, wha.." he began but was silenced by her finger pressed firmly on his lips.

"No Harry, no words, just take me in your arms and make me yours," she said in a tone dripping with a longing desire.

She threw herself into his arms and wrapped her mouth furiously around his. He eagerly responded with his, wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her firmly inside and slammed the door behind them.

They made their way over to the sofa, still locked in a steam filled kiss. Their souls both simultaneously sprung to life with all the years of repressed passion that now sprang madly to life.

She pushed him roughly onto the sofa and straddled him, and brought her head down for another kiss. She ridded him of his jacket as she relished the taste of his lips. In her passion she ripped his shirt off, letting the buttons fly carelessly in the air. Once off she just stared at his amazingly perfect abs and chest. The sight made her drip with desire as she felt herself go immediately moist in her womanhood. She ran her fingers up and down his chest as he worked her neck skillfully with his eager mouth.

She shuttered and moaned softly at these ministrations. His lips were driving her mad with lust and she grabbed the hem of her dress firmly, and in a single motion she pulled it over her head. She wore naught but a flimsy pair of soaking panties now.

Harry just took a moment to gaze longingly at her perfect breasts, they weren't huge, but they were large enough, perfectly perky and round. Soft pink flesh held in contrast to her dark areolas. Her nipples were pert and perfect and stood fully erect as her desire mounded.

"My God Hermione, you are so incredibly beautiful," He said in a low husky voice that had his heart's truth ringing clearly through, causing her to smile in response.

She moaned louder as he took one in his rough and calloused hand, massaging it gently, tweaking the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. She began to grind down on him and she could feel his member swelling greatly between her legs. She was so turned on by the fact that he could actually get him hard.

She grabbed his dark unruly hair roughly and brought his mouth to her other breast. Harry needed no more prodding, he took it fully into his mouth and began working it furiously with his teeth and tongue. Biting and sucking in equal measure. She was going mad with the pleasure she was receiving, no man had ever made her feel like this, so sexy, so worshiped.

Harry reveled in the feelings that were waking inside him, it was more than just pure lust, though that in itself was driving him out of his mind, but it went deeper. He had dreamt about this, about sharing this scared dance with Hermione, his best friend, and now that he was he had to admit it far surpassed even his most wild of expectations. It was the perfect union of love and lust.

Harry ran his finger over the heavily drenched black thong Hermione wore, brushing across her waiting and eager clit. Her breath quickened as he began rubbing her in earnest. She panted and moaned as he worked the fabric aside and pushed two fingers inside her velvet folds, working her walls aside and letting his fingers work in and out of her. She bucked hard against him and ground down even harder, he was making her feel so happy to be a woman. He began circling her clit fast with his thumb while still gliding his fingers in and out of her.

She couldn't handle much more, she knew she was close. She reached down and began undoing his slacks. Harry took her cue and began helping, with some effort they managed to work them off without her having to unstraddle him. She could feel his full erect member already pressing against her and it sent a new wave of painful desire shooting through her. She backed up slightly, she wanted, no she needed to see it fully.

She gasped at the sight, she had never, ever in her life seen anything she thought so beautiful, so perfect. It wasn't freakishly massive but it was defiantly the largest she had ever seen. Even though she hadn't handled many she had seen her far share as a healer and none even compared to his. And Ron's, Ron's was laughable in comparison.

She took it firmly in her hand and she could feel it throb as she began to work the shaft up and down. Harry let out a throaty growl as she pumped him with eager verve. It felt so incredible, her soft skillful little hand working his manhood like this.

He couldn't stand it her needed to feel himself inside her now. He reached down and ripped her panties away. She repositioned herself, but before she lowered herself Harry had to know.

"Are you sure this is what you want Jeanie," He asked.

She looked down at him and with a lustful voice answered, "Oh God yes Harry, make me yours, make me feel like a damn woman and shag my effing brains out."

Harry needed no more encouragement. He took himself firmly in his hand and placed it at the base of her opening. She fearing he was still weary about it ground down, so his crown just pushed past her lips. They both gasped as she lowered herself fully, completely sheathing herself around him. She felt like he was stretching her past the breaking point, she had never had anything this big in her before.

Harry relished it, the tight wetness that was now wrapped around him, he worried the slightest motion would send him reeling over the edge and cause him to spill himself deep inside her. He need not have worried, he had more control than that, and it was important to him that she get there first.

Hermione began to rise, letting the feeling of him pressed firm within her walls wash over her. She quickened the pace as she began working her way up and down on him with force. She panted and began to let little screams escape her as she rode him furiously. It felt so good she thought she might pass out. Harry too was in pure ecstasy. The sweet oblivion of their love making was taking over their whole beings, the heat of the moment washing over them both.

She was close she could feel it, "Oh good Harry this feels so good, oh yes, it feels fan fucking tastic," she screamed as she neared her peak.

Harry could sense it, he knew she was close, he knew what would drive her over the edge, he again began working her clit furiously as he moaned in a deep voice, "Cum for me baby," as he worked her heaving breast with his other hand.

The overwhelming sensations were too much, she saw stars as lights popped before her eyes, "yes Harry that's it, oh fuck I'm cumminggggggggggggg" she yelled loudly as her orgasm took her and washed over her with wave after wonderful wave of pleasure. Feeling her orgasm take her and feeling her contract was enough to push Harry over the edge, and with a massive thrust he spilled himself deep inside her, upon feeling it Hermione's orgasm intensified.

They both stayed like that while they rode out their euphoric highs. Finally trying desperately to catch her breath Hermione collapsed on the couch beside Harry, letting her fingers running through his wild sweaty hair.

He just looked down on her and smiled, he wasn't finished with her yet, her lowered himself down and kissed her firmly, he felt his spent member working itself back up, he felt it and so did she.

"Good heavens Harry, again," she said breathlessly. He growled his response as he picked her up bridal style and with his lips placed ravishingly on hers he carried her to his room.

He placed her firmly on the bed and they began a new session of passionate and lustful lovemaking.

They made love for hours, both reaching the heights of sexual ecstasy many, many times. Finally after they were both utterly exhausted Hermione screamed his name one last time before Harry collapsed beside her. They both just stared lovingly into the others eyes as they caught their breath, she touched his face gently, her took her hand and kissed her palm gently.

"That was so wonderful Harry, I've never felt anything like that," Hermione said truthfully.

"It's only because I'm with you, you've awoken a passion that was trapped deep in my soul, thank you for that, you've made me remember how to feel again," Harry said, also speaking in truthful convictions.

"Hermione," Harry said in a deep voice.

"Yes Harry," she responded, looking deep into his beautiful green eyes, finding his words before he spoke them.

"I Love You, I truly do, I am so deeply in love with you it hurts," he said.

Her heart leapt, so long had she yearned to hear those little yet powerful words, and now that she had her life was perfect, "I Love You Too Harry," she answered beaming with her souls brilliant light.

She rolled to her side and Harry took her and pulled her firmly her back to his front, and with his strong arm draped over her they both drifted off into a peaceful and much needed sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Hermione was the first to wake, she sat up and stretched, felling perfectly content, she felt complete. She also felt a little sore, but in a good way. Harry was still slumbering, breathing softly beside her. She just looked down on him and watched him sleep for a while. She loved the sight, it made her fall in love with him all over again. She looked at the clock that hung on the wall, damn, she thought, I have to work today. But then she thought about it, she did have a number of sick days saved up, never liking to take time off before, then she would have had to spend that time with her worthless EX boyfriend, and given that choice she would choose work seven days a week and twice on Sunday.

But now that she was with someone she truly loved and actually wanted to spend time with she thought she had earned a day off. She grabbed her wand and flourished it, causing a slivery otter to spring from its tip. She whispered a hasty message in its ear, informing her boss that she would be taking a personal day.

She then felt another need, one deep inside her. Hunger, last night really took it out of her, and if her plans for the day, which was nothing more than a repeat of last night were to be meet she would need fuel. She felt Harry stir beside her, obviously missing the warmth her body provided.

He looked up hazily at her and let a wide smile spread across his lips, "Morning beautiful," he said in a light tone, a tone lighter than any he'd used in a long time.

"Morning yourself sexy, those were some good moves last night Potter," she said, shooting him a sexy smile of her own.

"Were they now, well that's good to know," he said, loving that she was stroking his ego, "How about a repeat performance, unless you have to work," he said, sounding a bit disappointed.

She shook her head, "Nope, I'm taking the day off, so today I'm all yours," she said throwing her arms back around his neck.

He looked deep into her eyes, "Only today," he said playfully.

She smiled again, "no, each and everyday from here on, as long as you want me I'll be yours."

"It'll be forever than," he said pulling her into another soul filled kiss, causing her to moan into his mouth.

They broke and rested their heads on the others, Harry smiled as he said, "Well how about that repeat than," he said seductively.

"UM that does sound good, but to be honest I need some food if I'm going to have the energy to keep up, I'm not as highly trained as you, you seem to have energy that never runs out," she said.

"Just making up for lost time Jeanie, but your right, I'm hungry two, damn, I don't keep much food in the house though, I can just nip out to the local deli, I usually go there in the morning, their breakfast is pretty good, sound good," he asked lightly.

She nodded in response, "Yeah, sounds great, while you're out I'll just shower and clean up a little."

"Why bother, your just going to get filthy again," he said with a sly grin.

She playfully slapped his arm, "Even so Harry we're not animals."

"Could have fooled me, we were last night, and will be again shortly," he said flirtatiously.

"Will you just go get some food or you're not getting any more today," she said jokingly, she knew she would never be able to keep her hands off of him now that he was hers.

Even though he still raised his hands in surrender, "Ok, ok I'm going," he said kissing her one last time before getting up, throwing on some jeans and a tight black t shirt that showed off his muscles beautifully.

He walked lightly to the door and made his way outside, whistling lightly to himself.

Little did he know that his departure did not go unnoticed, at that moment his flat was being staked out by a certain redheaded bastard who was hiding under a disillusionment charm across the street. He had been here waiting for hours for one of them to emerge, and while he was cocky he wasn't stupid, well not that stupid. He knew he couldn't take them both together so he waited until one presented themselves, and upon seeing Harry leave Ron decided it better to go for the one that betrayed him. He could tell from the smug look on Harry's face that he had gotten laid last night, the thought caused Ron's rage to grow to dangerous proportions.

He made his way silently to Harry's door and tried the knob, trusting git didn't even bother to lock it, Ron thought. He made his way in still invisible and heard the unmistakable sound of the shower running. He crept through the flat and opened the bathroom door, he silently pointed his wand at Hermione whom he could see through the clear shower curtain.

"Petrificus Totalus," he cried placing Hermione in a full body bind curse, causing her to crumple feeble to the ground. Ron cast off his disillusionment charm and rushed to her fallen stiff body. He rolled her over and looked dangerously into her fear filled eyes.

"Thought that was funny what you did last night didn't you, you little mudblood bitch, well once I get you outside, I'll apparate us back home and teach you some proper manners," Ron said angrily, cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner, knowing he had to be outside to apparate, Harry having a ward put up around his flat. He picked Hermione up and slung her over this shoulder.

Harry had just made it half way up the street when he slapped his forehead, damn it, he thought, forgot my wallet. He turned to go back to his flat quickly to retrieve it. He was nearly there when he noticed immediately that something was amiss, his door was wide open, he didn't leave it like that. The Auror part of himself kicked into high gear. He drew his wand and rushed to the front of his door and made his way in and what he saw made him see beyond red, his mind went blank, he saw black, the black that accompanies death.

"RON" he cried in fury upon seeing Ron carrying Hermione bound on his shoulder.

Upon seeing Harry Ron dropped Hermione and pointed his wand at Harry, but he had no chance against the much more skilled Harry.

With a quick flick Harry disarmed Rom, causing his wand to fly high in the air, the force Harry put behind the spell caused Ron to go flying, he crashed hard against the wall. Harry than waved his wand over Hermione, who stirred after being freed from the body binding curse. Ron wasn't defeated though, he got up and began to taunt Harry.

"What's the matter Potter to scared to face me without your little stick, to scared to face me like a man, like you were against the man that killed my sister," Ron jeered.

This was too much for Harry, the dark part took control and he rushed full force towards Ron. He tackled him hard and held him hard against the wall. Ron brought down both elbows with surprising force against Harry's back and brought his knee up to smash into Harry's face. Harry reeled, in his wrath he had forgotten for a moment that Ron was trained as an Auror, so he was a fairly skilled fighter.

Ron rushed forward and tried to seize this chance but Harry had recomposed himself and spun on the spot, giving Ron a devastated roundhouse to the temple. Ron faltered but her didn't fall, he tried for a punch but Harry caught it and twisted his arm cruelly and punched him hard in the face, breaking his nose, causing blood to pour out.

Harry wanted to end this quickly so he, while still holding Ron's wrist firmly picked him up easily and threw him over his shoulder onto the ground, once there he spun and fell on top of Ron, positioning himself with his legs wrapped tightly around Ron's arm. Harry held him tight in his arm bar and while Ron struggled hard in vain Harry applied the right press to the right spot and _crack, _Ron's arm broke easily, causing him to cry in utter pain and misery. Once he broke his arm Harry stood and glared down on his broken form, pathetically cradling his useless arm and cursing Harry.

Harry quickly made his way over to Hermione, who had regained herself now, she had been standing with her arms draped over herself to conceal her nudity, watching the whole fight unfold.

"Are you OK" Harry asked in true concern.

She nodded hastily. Harry turned and looked back down at Ron. He scanned the room and found Ron's wand, he picked it up and walked back over to were Ron was still feebly huddled.

"You don't deserve this anymore," Harry said coolly as he snapped Ron's wand in half over his knee, tossing the pieces at his head.

"Fuck you Potter, you're going to regret this, I promise you will," Ron screamed in defiance.

Harry's angry returned, he hated threats, "Now listen you sorry piece of shit if you ever, and I mean ever come anywhere near me or her again I will kill you, I will cut you into so many pieces they wont even be able to identify your worthless corpse, which I will then feed to pigs, and it will still be better than what you deserve," Harry said, the fires of hell alive in his eyes. He wanted Ron to hear him, hear him and know he was speaking the truth, that these weren't idle threats, that if Ron indeed threatened Hermione's safety again Harry would indeed end him.

Harry picked Ron roughly up and carried him to his door, once there he threw him carelessly into the middle of the road. Once there he slammed the door. He was still breathing hard, until he saw Hermione's eyes, he calmed himself at once. He thought he saw something in her eyes, he thought it was fear, but truly it was excitement. For her it was a bit thrilling, seeing Harry in the fullness of his wrath had made her insides swim in a sea of wonderful excitement.

Once again Harry made his way over to her and looked deep into her beautiful chocolate eyes, "Are you really OK, he didn't hurt you," he asked.

"No Harry, I'm fine, thanks to you, Harry that was, well that was something," she said in a breathless tone.

"I'm sorry, I just got so angry when I saw him with you bound on his shoulder I kind of lost it," he said softly, hoping he hadn't frightened her to much.

"Don't apologize Harry, it was better than what he deserved, and to be honest it was a little exciting," she said.

He gave her an odd look, one of disbelief, "Really?"

"Yeah, kind of got me going again," she said, wrapping her arms around him, kissing him hard and fierce. The feeling of her naked body pressed firmly against his was more than enough to get his motor going.

"What about breakfast," he said when the kiss broke.

"To hell with breakfast, it can wait now take me back to your room and shag me rotten," she ordered.

"As you wish," he said as he pressed his lips firmly back to hers and picked her up, as she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her back to his room and that's where they stayed most of the day, only leaving to go for breakfast together, and then to the market to pick up what they needed for lunch and dinner, along with some fresh strawberries, for which Hermione had some delicious ideas that had nothing to do with cooking.

They made love all day, in bed, in the shower, on the floor, on the couch, on the kitchen table, over the counter, pretty much everywhere they could in Harry's small flat.

At the end of the day they were both completely spent once again, and Harry once again looked deep into her eyes while lying in bed as an idea took him.

"Hermione I was thinking," he said softly.

"About what," she asked.

"About us, how many days can you get off from work," he asked.

"I don't know, I haven't taken a day off or a vacation in three years so about six weeks I'd say, why," she asked.

"Well I was just thinking, maybe what we need is to get away from all this for a while, take some time just for ourselves and really rediscover each other, you know have a little adventure around the world, what do you think," he asked hopefully.

She smiled, she loved the idea, it sounded better than good, it sounded great, "Sounds like heaven, but what about you, can you get that much time off work," she asked.

"Kingsley already gave me a leave of absence, thinks the pressures of the job were getting to me, and right now I'm inclined to agree with him, right now an adventure with you around the world sounds just like what we both need," he said through a long sigh, letting her hear how much his heart really needed this escape.

She picked up on it, and if she were being honest, it was just what she needed as well, "Sounds good to me, as long as there's no damn philosopher's stone or horcruxes to find," she said smiling coyly, causing him to laugh.

"No my love, no more evil wizards to fight, this will be an adventure for us, just so we can let our love blossom. Well now that that's settled," he said as he pulled her close for another deep kiss full of passion.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hermione sat, Harry's armed wrapped firmly around her as her soul soaked in the breathtaking sight that was unfolding before her eyes. She was enamored by it, never had she seen anything like it. It filled her with such a peaceful wonder, at viewing the perfection of nature's mastery of artistic expression.

Men and women can paint, write, and create so many wonderful things, but no one could create anything that even begins to come close to the scene she was now seeing, only something much greater than any of that can crate such a scene of true magnificent splendor.

She sat on a hard rock in the painted desert in Arizona just as the sun began to rise, as it did she could see each ray kiss the top of the speckled landscape, bathing it in the warmth of its tender touch. The terra seemed to shine with such a plethora of amazing colors, deep lavenders, rich reds, soft blues and striking yellows. It fed her soul in a way that only the man who sat beside ever could, and for that she was so incredibly grateful for this simple pleasure, not only for being here, but being here with him.

She recognized it for what it was, a gift given to them both by the hands of fate, who could not only be terribly cruel, but could also be unimaginably generous with its affection. She silently thanked the powers that be for letting her share this perfect moment with Harry. She felt so at peace with herself, and the world as a whole, in that dazzling moment she felt connected to every living thing under the sun, she could feel them deep within herself.

Not the least of which was the man she was sharing this with, she broke her gaze from the amazing scene to gaze upon something that in her mind did rival the scene of tremendous natural beauty, and that was Harry's face. Upon seeing it a wealth of deep emotions took her completely, she knew she loved him before, but in that moment she felt something deeper, something that went beyond love, she felt their souls connect, and in that moment any lingering doubts that she may have had about her and Harry's relationship was forever dashed, for she knew in that moment that her truth was that her heart, mind, body and soul were indeed Harry's.

At that moment Harry caught her gaze at once he felt the exact same thing. All he was, all he had, or all he ever would be was Hermione's, and while this would normally frighten him, the complete feeling of being powerless, held in the trance of another's eyes, now he wasn't. For him it now felt right, he could feel his heart beat firmly in his chest and he felt alive, and man was it good to be alive.

They didn't speak, they didn't need to, their eyes said everything as the suns warming glow washed over them, with the magical desert in the background they reached for each other and when they came together and their lips meet they could feel the rush of each others souls flow into the other. If passion could be rated a whole new system and structure would have to be devised to rate this kiss, as any that came before it would be horribly inadequate, this would be the measure that all other displays of passion would be held, and it was theirs and the let themselves become lost in it.

They were on their last leg of their tour of romance and boy was it a wonderful collection of amazing moments that had a translucent, mesmerizing quality. Hermione had walked around the entire time like it were a dream, afraid at any moment she would wake and it all would be taken from her. But it wasn't a dream, it was now her life.

She remembered fondly now as she and Harry released each other's lips and gazed back on the senses filling scene with their heads resting on each others. She remembered watching the sun lower itself to find its rest while she and Harry gazed forth atop China's great wall. She remembered moonlit gondola rides in Venice, Italy.

She remembered the soft flush green of the rolling Irish countryside, how when the light caught the hills just right they were almost as beautiful as the emerald shade of Harry's eyes, or so she thought. She remembered her and Harry stopping in Nepal to help a village which had a terrible fire raging through it. She and Harry worked fast, and with some skill, nerve and masterfully performed magic they managed to squelch the flames, and wipe the memories of the villagers as well.

She remembered the humor of the scene as Harry did his best impersonation of what the oracle of Delphi must have sounded like while they were visiting Greece. She remembered the pure relaxation she found just lying on a private beach in St. Croix in the Caribbean, she also remembered being able to work on a full body tan, and making love in the ocean, that spot was certainly a favorite in her memory chest.

She remembered the exhilaration of her and Harry trying a local muggle activity while on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, it was called surfing. And she had to admit that for having nothing to do with magic it was one of the most exciting things she had ever done, as was the skydiving in Nevada, while they spent a maddingly intriguing weekend in the fabled city of Las Vegas.

She sat and remembered visiting the American city of New York, with its spiraling buildings rising high in the air to kiss the sky. She loved it, the food, the clubs, the theatres. She fondly reminisced about seeing a certain Broadway show that still made her giggle slightly, it was called Wicked.

She remembered the love she felt for Harry, herself, and the world as the stood before Niagara Falls, also a prime example of the truth of nature's perfection. And now here they were, finally at the end.

Harry had insisted on saving this scene for last, he having already seen it due to a trip here to the American southwest to aid the American wizarding council with a difficult case.

Once Harry had seen this scene before he knew then that he wanted to share it with someone, and he had never doubted who that someone was. And now she was here, sharing it with him, and in that moment he felt right, as if fate had finally rewarded him for all of his service and sacrifice.

They both sighed as the moment passed and they rose, still entwined in a tight embrace. He gazed down on her and she smiled deeply in response.

"You were so right Harry, that was the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she said softly.

"What's the first," he asked.

"I'm looking at it," she answered while staring in his eyes.

"If you say so, though I'm nothing when viewed against your beauty, its standard is so high that nothing else that holds that title could ever hope to compare," He said in a deep lovingly rich tone.

She smiled and they came together for another sample of each other's soul passed through their lips. In that moment life was perfect, they only prayed it would last.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Harry looked over to the softly slumbering Hermione. The sight took him completely, he felt so right in that moment, so content. It was early morning after their first night back in Britain, here at Harry's small flat, after their wonderful trip, and as far as trips to charge to batteries go, Harry felt as if his has been forever charged to the max. He now felt safe to go to Kingsley about returning to work, it was his calling after all and he did miss it. **

**Hermione as well had to return to work this morning, she knew this and she stirred and opened her beautiful chocolate orbs and smiled.**

"**Morning, what are you doing," she asked through a long yawn.**

"**Just sitting here watching you, admiring how perfect you are," Harry answered lightly.**

**She smiled and crinkled her brow in such a cute way, "Please Harry, I may be a lot of things but perfect is defiantly not one of them," she answered.**

"**Well you are to me, I mean do you realize how truly incredible you are, your hair, your face, your breasts," he said now looking at the sight of her bare before him.**

"**Really," she answered in light mockery, "My breasts, I don't know," she began while looking down at them, "I never really thought much of them, I mean they aren't perfect, their not large enough for that."**

"**Jeanie, breasts don't have to be huge to be perfect, there is the widely believed misconception that all men love huge, enormous, ridiculously massive breasts, well while there may be men out there who fell like that there are others, myself included who like them just like yours, perfectly found, firm, perky with super sensitive nipples, no Hermione I wouldn't wish yours any bigger, their really a wonderful asset of yours, and speaking of assets," he said coyly now trying for a peak at her lovely heart shaped 'asset' that stood behind her.**

**She playfully slapped his arms, "Harry, really," she said, acting falsely affronted. **

"**What, there is nothing wrong with admiring the female body, it's a true masterpiece, I mean no one thinks it vulgar to praise the Mona Lisa, well let me tell you that your body puts that and ever other so called work of art to shame, your form is such that no human could adequately represent it in any medium, only in the truth of life could one appreciate it fully, and there's nothing base or vulgar about that, the female body is a beautiful thing and I for one find nothing shameful whatsoever about enjoying and admiring it," he said with a wink and a grin, causing her to smile and blush. **

**Harry made her feel like she had never before, really she had never thought much about herself, but Harry was awaking a slumbering pride inside as to who she was, she was beginning to think herself beautiful, at for that gift she loved him all the more.**

"**Well I never really thought about it much before, I mean I never thought I was even pretty, much less beautiful, no one ever told me such things like you do," she said softly locking eyes with him, letting her fingers run through his wild and thick hair.**

"**Well that changes now, I'm going to tell you so each and everyday, and if I don't you have my permission to curse my inconsiderate arse into oblivion," Harry said, loving the feeling of her fingers running through his hair.**

"**Deal," she said laughing slightly, "Not to change the subject because I could listen to you feed my ego forever but life's practical side must be addressed," she said, sifting tones, now bringing back her old standard, her serious and no nonsense tone that Harry was very familiar with, having heard it throughout their time at Hogwarts.**

"**What needs to be addressed," Harry said smirking, amused by hearing her now using her Hermioneish tone.**

"**Our living situation, I mean we haven't properly talked about it, being somewhat busy the last month and a half, but I've left Ron and I'm not going back to that hell hole for anything, so now I'm homeless unless you care to take in a flat mate," she said smiling longingly at him.**

"**No," he said plainly, causing her smile to fade, "I don't want a flat mate, I want a soul mate, and for me that's you, I want to go to sleep and wake up with you by my side for the rest of my life," he said truthfully.**

**Hermione's smile returned in earnest as she wrapped Harry in her arms and threw herself on top of him, lowering herself to sample his delicious lips, once she broke away she beamed, "I Love You Harry James."**

"**And I Love You Hermione Jean," he answered pulling her back down to him to once again sample her glorious nectar. **

**After a brief but intense session of steamy sex, they got up and showered together and shared a quiet breakfast. After they finished they decided that Harry's flat was indeed too small for them so they would go hunting for a new place that they could call theirs after work. **

**Hermione dressed and pulled her hair tight and up for work as Harry pulled on his tight blue uniform, he secured his captains badge securely to his chest. Hermione smiled and felt herself remoisten herself at the sight, she thought him so sexy in his uniform.**

**They walked out together and shared a loving kiss as they both apparated away, her to St. Mungos, he to the Ministry. **

**Once there Harry made his way through the throng of early morning risers, most looking upbeat and chipper, but none more so than Harry, which struck many as odd. Many not knowing why this change had come about but were glad to see it none the less. They much preferred this happy, whistling Harry to the depressingly morose brooding one. Harry began walking to the lift to visit the minister about reinstating him when a familiar voice called from his back.**

"**Harry, could I have a quick word," the voice requested.**

**Harry turned to see a tall, thin, somewhat balding wizard with fiery red hair, and horn-rimmed glasses approach.**

"**Sure thing Arthur, what's up," Harry asked.**

"**Well it's Ron, his mother and I are worried about him, we got an owl from St. Mungo's six weeks ago saying he had broken his arm and came in violently abusing the staff, they had to restrain him and after they fixed him up he left. Well I went to his place and the place was cleaned out, I went to George who told me he had seen him, and who had learned he has taken a new job, and I really don't know what to say, he's become Lucius Malfoy's personal assistant, you know what that means" Arthur said in a deeply worried tone.**

**Harry did indeed know what that meant. Lucius Malfoy's 'assistants' were nothing more than his middle men, people he used to move dangerous and dark artifacts on the black market, to give a buffer between himself and the law, so if the 'assistant' were caught with the illegal contraband it wouldn't come back on Lucius. **

**Harry knew first hand the curses Lucius used to ensure his 'assistants' didn't dime him out. Employing an ingenious curse that wipes completely the memory of any such fool who allows themselves to be caught, and there have been a fair few in the past.**

**Arthur again looked at Harry with a painfully worried demeanor, Harry felt for it and he knew what was coming, though he dreaded it, "Please Harry, could you please see if there's anything you could do for him, believe me I'm not blind, I know how my son has been in recent years, and while I am disgusted and ashamed of it he is still my son and I don't think he's beyond hope, so please for Molly and I please help him," Arthur finished in a deep pleading voice.**

**Harry sighed heavily, he didn't know what to say, as far as he was concerned after his last encounter with Ron he would have been content never to see his sorry ass again, but Harry did still feel a deep love and affection for his former in laws, whom had always treated him like a son, even long before he had married Ginny, and it was for them that he would try.**

**Harry finally nodded, "OK Arthur, for you and Molly, I'll do what I can," he said in a firm tone, causing Arthur to smile widely and take Harry's hand, shaking it vigorously, nearly wringing it off.**

"**Thank you son, that means so much, really it does," Arthur beamed still shaking Harry's hand madly. Harry patted his once father in laws shoulder and bided him farewell.**

**As Harry made his way to the lift he pondered this troubling development. He knew Ron to be a sorry, worthless git, but that wouldn't explain his wanting to work for Lucius, Ron hated the Malfoy's more than anybody. Harry pondered this deeply, he knew Ron must have an ulterior motive for doing this.**

**Harry was right. After his encounter with Harry, where he pretty much got his ass handed to him on a silver platter, and was made to look every bit the whiny little bitch that he is, Ron's rage and resentment towards both Harry and Hermione had grown to epic proportions. He had been fuming, letting this hate fester in his soul, bubbling and boiling over, giving birth to an evil malicious desire to see them both face a painful end.**

**But his encounter had made him see that he really couldn't take Harry on in a fair fight, so he would need to come after them in a different, more underhanded way. **

**Ron pondered this, he needed help, he needed to find a way to hurt them that wasn't widely known. A way that even Aurors didn't know about. He needed to find ancient and banned dark magic. But he knew of only one place that held such devious knowledge, that Malfoy's private and restricted library of evil, found at Malfoy Manor. The very library that Voldemort himself had spent hours in, trying to further his nefarious knowledge. It was here Ron would find what he needed to finally put Potter and Granger in their places. But he knew it wouldn't be easy, no one but Lucius had access to this restricted area of his Manor, and only with his permission could one enter it. So he would have to ingratiate himself to Lucius, and he knew doing that would involve being his trusted lackey, a role Ron would play until he had what he needed, no matter how long it took. **

**He was fuming about this as he carried a crate full of severed monkey's paws down Diagon Alley, heading for Knockturn to deliver them to Borgins and Burkes. He had just turned to head down Knockturn Alley when he heard a familiar voice behind him, and the sound made his blood boil red hot.**

"**Ron," Harry called.**

**Ron turned and shot him a look of pure death, a look of such deep hate that Harry could actually feel it hitting his skin, like tiny icy daggers. The look made the hair on the back of Harry's neck stand on end.**

"**What the hell do you want," Ron sneered.**

"**Your father asked me to talk to you, he and your mother are worried about you," Harry said plainly, putting no emotions behind his words.**

"**Are they now, well you can tell them from me I'm fine, I'm not a kid who needs looking after any more, I can take care of myself and I don't need them or you butting into my business, now if you don't mind I'm busy," Ron said in a voice dripping with contempt.**

"**I've heard, your father told me you've taken up with Lucius Malfoy, not a wise move, you must remember from your time as an Auror want happens to most of his flunkies," Harry said, matching Ron's contempt.**

"**Well I got to make a living don't I, and don't you worry about me 'captain', I'm not as stupid as those other fools, you'll never catch me carrying anything illegal," Ron said thinking it true, he would be carrying such things, but he felt Harry wouldn't catch him. **

"**Really, and what's in the crate then" Harry asked, now eyeing the large wooden box.**

"**Nothing illegal, just monkey paws, want to search it," Ron sneered, holding the crate out.**

**Harry just shook his head, "Damn it Ron, what happened to you," Harry asked, finally letting some emotion seep through.**

**Ron smirked and laughed in a tone of maniacal mockery, "What happened to me, you really want to know, fine I'll tell you, you, you happened to me, it was always you. The great Harry Potter happened to me. You were always there weren't you, taking everything from me, you took my parents love, you took my time at school, always wrapping me up in your crazy and dangerous adventures, you took my sister and now she's dead for ever having meet you, and finally you took her, she was mine and you stole her, and you have the nerve to ask me what happened to me, fuck you Potter," Ron screamed at Harry, causing those around to look away mortified, rushing to get away from the fry.**

**Harry shot him a look equal to Ron's, one that spoke to the deep anger and wrath he was now feeling over him bringing Ginny up again, and Hermione as well, the idea that he had stole her was making Harry's ire rise, but through it he found a new measure, he, with Hermione's help and peaceful image, had learned finally to control his temper, "I guess you want me to feel bad, but honestly I don't, maybe there was a time when I would have but not anymore. I'm tired, so tired of feeling guilty over this, your shortcomings are on you not me, I never stood in your way. You've been singing this same sad song for years and quite honestly its getting pretty damn old. You've always looked at me with a certain envy in your eyes but I want you to really think about this, would you really want to be me, to have this so called fame you'd have to had lived my life, and let me tell you it hasn't been a picnic. Would you have really have liked to have your family ripped from you before you were even old enough to know or remember them? Would you have liked to then have been left to be raised by cruel magic hating muggles, who tore you down and abused you every chance they got? Then how would you have liked to go to Hogwarts with an evil and demented wizard hot on your ass bent on your absolute destruction, and for that you had to carry the entire hope of the wizarding world on your shoulders, knowing if you failed all would be lost. Tell me would you have liked that, would you really have liked my life, I think not, and not only that a sorry git like you couldn't have handled it. You proved your true metal to me when you left during the Horcrux hunt, I mean we were fighting a war for fuck sake and you couldn't stop whining about being hungry, you couldn't suck it up like a man and carry on to achieve our end for the good of our world, you showed me your true self that night. And as for Hermione, well if you'll remember I gave you the chance to be happy with her, but all you did was make her miserable, and that's on you, you had the most beautiful, most perfect woman in the world and you couldn't see past your own selfish, self centered needs to worry at all about hers," Harry said dangerously advanced on him now, seeming to rise to towering proportions, he looked him straight in the eyes, a fire burning deep inside them "I still want to kill you for what you did to her, tearing her down and making her feel worthless all those years actually got her thinking they were true, and for that pain which you caused her I will never forgive you, and I can see now you've chosen your path, and I've chosen mine, and as long as they don't again cross you'll have nothing to fear from me, but remember, remember what I've told you once you miserable bastard," Harry said, letting Ron see the truth in his eyes.**

**Without another word Harry tore quickly up the street and turned, vanishing into nothing.**

**Ron stood there glaring with hatred at where Harry had stood, he recommitted himself full force into his pursuit. One day Harry and Hermione would pay for what he arrogantly believed they had done to him.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The encounter with Ron stayed in the back of Harry's mind for the most part as he made his way back to the ministry to seek a meeting with the minister. He wasn't to terribly worried over it though, only regretting the pain Ron would bring to his parents over his unchanging attitudes. But for Harry he felt he had wasted enough time on his former friend's redemption, which he could now see was highly unlikely.

Harry made his way to the Minster's office and smiled warmly at his secretary, "Hi Silvia, is the minister busy, I was hoping I could have a quick word with him," Harry asked hopefully.

"He's just finishing an interdepartmental memo on the restriction of the use of corporal punishment on house elfs, I'll just nip in and see if he's finished" she said warmly, twirling her long blonde hair between her finger, trying desperately to get Harry to notice her flirting.

"Thanks, that'd be great," Harry said, thinking Hermione would love the restriction, knowing she still had a soft spot in her heart for those poor creatures still forced into slavery. Harry himself could never abide it, that's why when he came of age and got his full inheritance he freed the twelve house elf's his family still owned, giving them the means to find a better life for themselves.

Silvia emerged from Kingsley's office a minute later, "He's just finished, you can see him now, and its great to have you back Harry," she beamed, he returned it, not fully though, he knew she had a slight crush on him, and while she was attractive he had never thought about her in that way.

He glided past her and pushed the large black door open and entered Kingsley's office, finding him sitting behind his large mahogany desk in his large plush chair. Upon entering Kingsley rose to greet his friend and best Auror, extending his hand warmly as Harry strided over to clasp, and shake it firmly.

"Well my friend, what can I do for you," Kingsley asked in his deep measured tone.

"I want to be put back on active duty," Harry said firmly.

"Are you sure your ready, I really can't afford to take chances," Kingsley said wearily.

"Quite sure Minister, I've never felt better in my life, I've found the cure for my condition, and I promise you have nothing else to worry about, I'll handle the job with a level headed measure from here on in, I swear to you I will," Harry said, putting his heart behind his words, letting Kingsley see he was speaking the truth.

"Well I must admit I am very glad to hear that my friend, if you don't mind me asking what's brought about this change?"

Harry turned slightly crimson as he began to rub his neck, "Well sir the answer happens to be a certain brunette healer who's helped to heal more than my shoulder," Harry answered with a devilish grin, causing Kingsley to return it in earnest.

"Well Silvia will be devastated, you know she has a thing for you, but I am truly happy for you my friend, I think it wonderful, and may you and Ms. Granger share a long and happy time together, now get back to work, you have a lot to catch up on, Macmillian's been shite on his own," Kingsley answered laughing slightly to himself, causing Harry to roll his eyes, the fact that he was back made him so happy he really didn't mind still being partnered with MacMillian.

Harry strode merrily out of the Minister's office to search for his hapless partner, who at that moment was trying to make an origami swan from the Minister's newly arrived memo about house elf's, he was still trying in vain when Harry walked up and chuckled to himself at the sight.

"Well I'm back," Harry said briskly, catching MacMillian off guard, "ready to hit the streets, I've just heard there's been some dragon eggs being moved through the leaky cauldron, let's go check it out," Harry said, eager to get back to his work.

"OK, and hey listen about stunning you, I'm sor.." he began but Harry cut him off.

"You don't have to apologize, you saved more than that piece of scum I was pounding on, you saved me from myself, you saved me from doing something I couldn't come back from, so for that thank you," Harry said smiling.

Ernie returned it, "Hey no problem, what are partners for, now lets go see about those dragon egg's," Ernie said rising, placing his wand firmly in his shoulder holster.

"Sounds good," Harry said patting his partner warmly on the shoulder, turning with him to face his new world.

The rest of the day past normally enough, Harry and Ernie finding the source of the traded Dragon's eggs, confiscating what they found and issuing a summons to the short, beady eyes little wizard whom had been trading them to appear before the wizenagmont.

After the day was nearly through Harry bid Ernie farewell, who found it odd that Harry of all people wanted to leave in such an anticipatory haste, not knowing Harry was longing to get back to Hermione.

He meet her at the admissions desk at St. Mungo's and approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and not caring a lick that they were in full view of everybody spun her around and kissed her full on the lips.

She had just finished her shift so they left together, walking out hand in hand. They searched that and the subsequent days for nice little spot in the world they could call theirs. They found it in a nice little two bedroom cottage on the outskirts of London. It wasn't huge but it was big enough. Hermione loved the front porch with the lovely swinging bench built for two. She also loved the kitchen, with its full and convenient muggle amenities, she knew Harry could work wonders in it, being such a good cook.

They both loved it and settled in to share a love filled life. They christened it the first night by making love on the floor of the master bedroom, not having yet brought in the furniture they would need.

They spent the next few months painting, buying furniture, and everything else they would need to make this little love nest a true and proper home. Hermione relented and let Harry purchase a large flat screen television for the living room. He was pleased because now he could enjoy watching muggle sports, Qudditich sadly not being televised. And while he loved cricket and European football AKA soccer, he had also acquired a taste for the American equivalents, baseball, and American Football, really he loved the NFL. He only hoped his favorite team the San Francisco Forty Niners could pull their shit together and come up with a winning season.

They were disgustingly happy as their first year anniversary approached. Harry had decided to take Hermione out for a lovely dinner, followed by one of her favorite actives, dancing. Hermione spent the afternoon primping herself, doing her hair and make up, unneeded in Harry's eyes, as he thought she looked beautiful just how she was, but he had learned two things, one when a woman goes out she needs to feel she looks as good as she possibly could, and two never, ever try to rush them in this pursuit. So waited patently in the living room, watching the BBC evening news. Finally she emerged and Harry had to admit the time certainly wasn't wasted, she looked unbelievable in a stunning red dress that looked as if it were painted on, with matching bag and shoes. Her hair was put up and looked so good Harry could feel himself wishing he could mess it up greatly with his hands as he peeled her dress off. But that could wait until later that evening, but ever just so thought Harry.

She smiled as they left together, and after sharing a very nice dinner at a pricey upscale French restaurant, they made it to a dance club that had become one of Harry and Hermione's favorite spots. The made their way in and found it full of London night lifers, all moving in time with the booming techno beat. She pulled Harry immediately out onto the dance floor as they started to move together perfectly in time with the music. They had been bumping and grinding for a while when the song changed, and Hermione's eyes wildly lit up when she heard what came on. It was Brian Setzer's Jump Jive and Wail, and that meant one thing, it was time to swing.

She stepped back, snapping her fingers and swaying to Harry, who was already swaying his hips moving in perfect swing dancing rhythm. He took her extended hand and pulled her around and twirled her, spinning her fast and pulling her close and letting her go again as they spun around the other; he took her hand and they both faced out and began kicking back and forth moving perfectly together, as they pressed themselves back together, Harry taken her shoulder, letting her slide the length of his arm, catching her hand when she reached the end as he then picked her up, high in the air, she extended her legs to the sky, kicking them wildly as he brought her back down, letting her slide between his legs, catching her hand from behind him, pulling her spinning from the ground. She began circling him, touching his shoulder slightly as he still snapped his fingers, letting his knees dip, dancing in place, he tilted back and let himself glide back to the ground, where he quickly rose after springing from his out stretched hand. They moved in for the finally now as Harry once again took Hermione's waist and rose her high, dipping her to his left, then right, than again, straight throw his legs, from there she spun, so she was lying on her stomach as Harry reached under arms and pulled her firmly up, spinning her masterfully around his back, catching her securely with his other arm and pulling her back to his front, placing her firmly back on the ground, and finally dipping her low. They stared into each's eyes as the song ended, they were both breathing hard and sweating profusely. Harry leaned in and kissed her hard, they hadn't really noticed the crowd, who had moved into a circle around them, in order to give them room to move and watch the performance. As they kissed the crowd all clapped, and cheered, along with a few saucy cat calls from the back.

Harry picked Hermione back up to her feet and they smiled and waved at the still cheering crowd, Hermione going even redder.

"It's hot as hell in here, I think I'll just nip to the bar for a few drinks," Hermione said, causing Harry to nod his thanks.

She broke away and made her way through the throng to the bar, once there she called out an order of two margaritas, having acquired a liking for the drink during her time in the American southwest.

Before the drinks came she was accosted by a very intoxicated brick house of a man, he stood well over 6 feet, 5 inches tall, he had brown hair and she could smell the alcohol reeking out of him. He was towering over her, flanked by two other sorry looking specimens, one with light tan skin the other heavily tattooed up the neck, a vile lust was alive in their eyes.

"Hey there kitten, those were some pretty good moves out there, what's say you ditch the jerk off and join me and me mates for a drink," he slurred.

"No thank you, now if you'll please," she said, now getting her drinks, trying to push past the sequoia of a man and his two flunkies. They stood in front of her all leering at her, not letting her pass.

"What's the hurry kitten, we're just talking, unless you'd like to put that sexy mouth of yours to better use," tree trunk sneered, trying to wrap his arms around Hermione's waist.

"Take your filthy fucking hands off me, my boyfriend will have you for this," she yelled in fury, mad that she had left her wand in her bag in the coat check room.

Tattoo chimed in, "Will he now, and I'm sure were all real scared, aren't we boys, just in utter horror of what the dancing Nancy will do to us," Tattoo mocked, causing his compatriots to break into riotous laughter.

Harry began to wonder what was taking Hermione so long when he looked up to the bar, and the scene he was gazing at made his blood boil, Hermione was trying to push past three sorry looking wretches. Harry's control over his temper was starting to give way when he saw tree trunk wrap his arms around the woman he loved.

Harry ran furiously through the crowd, and once through walked with deadly purpose up to the backs of the three unaware men. Hermione smiled as she saw him at their backs. Harry tapped tree trunk firmly on the back, "is there a problem here," Harry said in a fiery tone.

They all spun, but rather that take Harry seriously they still laughed, choosing to make his anger deepen by mocking him, not the wisest of moves.

"Look boys it's the dancing Nancy come to save his girl, how noble, but as you can see Nancy we're not quite through with her yet, so why don't you turn around and walk away before you get hurt," tree trunk said, turning his back to Harry.

Harry caught his shoulder and forcefully pulled him around. Tree trunk immediately tried for a punch, but Harry skillfully parried it and gave tree trunk a devastating uppercut, which knocked out three teeth and broke his nose. Tattoo immediately rush forward but Harry with lighting speed flatten his palm and struck him hard in the throat, crushing tattoo's windpipe, causing him the reel backwards, clutching his throat while trying to gasp for air. Tan man now stepped in, trying to strike Harry over the head with his beer bottle, Harry raised his arm, blocking the blow, letting the bottle break over his arm. Harry than kicked tan man hard in the knee, causing him to falter, then Harry delivered a powerful front jump kick to tan man's skull, sending him crashing to the ground unconscious.

Tree trunk had recovered slightly by this time and lunged forward at Harry, who spun to avoid him, flipping himself across Tattoo's back. Once there Harry reared back his tightly balled fist and delivered tattoo a crushing blow to the temple, sending him crashing hard to the ground.

Tree trunk now enraged rushed forward, but Harry jumped and spun in midair, bringing his leg around to send a devastating roundhouse kick to tree trunks jaw. Tree trunk went flying backwards and he too hit the ground with a pathetic thud. Harry landed on his feet and clenched his fist and positioned himself, waiting for the next assault to come, but it never did. The miserable wretches were down for the count.

Hermione now rushed forward into Harry's arms, "are you OK" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, damn Harry what do they teach you in Auror training," she asked breathless.

"Pretty mush how to handle worthless pieces of filth like this, wizard and muggle alike," he answered.

She immediately took his head and forced his mouth roughly into hers, he felt like she was going to bore a hole through the back of his skull with her tongue. She didn't know why but for some reason watching Harry beat the living piss out of people really turned her on.

She pulled him to the coat check room and once the girl handed Hermione her purse she slipped the girl a hundred pound note to beat it, which she did. Hermione then pulled Harry over the counter and forced him to the back of the room, where she once again kissed him hard with lustful desire. She silently cast the "Muffliato" charm and let her fingers run through Harry's wild hair as she pushed her firmly against the back wall.

She started undoing his black slacks, she reached inside and took hold of his already growing member and pumped it hard, causing Harry to inhale sharply, she hiked her dress up and Harry tore away her matching red thong. And she, still holding his throbbing piece of man flesh firmly in her hand positioned him inside of her. She took a sharp breath as she felt him slide into her already sopping wet walls, he pushed in deeper, her firm against the wall and she cried in pure pleasure as he drove deeper and deeper inside of her. She began screaming loudly as a powerful orgasm born of horny lust took her and washed over her squirming and convulsing form completely. Harry felt it and thrust himself hard into her a few more times before he felt himself spill deep inside of her.

They stayed locked like that while they caught their breath and looked at each other. She smiled as did he as he backed away, pulling his slacks up while she repositioned her dress. They walked casually out of the room as if they had just shared nothing more than a polite conversation about the weather.

They walked hand in hand together back out of the club, once clear from prying eyes the apparated together back to their love nest to go for round two.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ron was getting frustrated, losing patience. It had been a year since his last encounter with Harry and a little more than a year since he had begun working for Lucius Malfoy and he was no closer to achieving his goal of gaining access to Lucius's private library of the darkest magic. He had to do something, something that would make Lucius owe him big. Big enough to allow the access he so desperately wanted.

He thought about this, about the things Lucius valued most, and while there weren't many there were a few. His family being chief amongst them. Ron knew Lucius was a stuck up, arrogant, selfish asshole, takes one to know one, but he knew he did love his wife and son, and would be devastated if anything tragic were to happen to them. If someone could save them from such a fate, well then Ron felt Lucius would feel so grateful he would to anything for their 'hero'.

He thought about this, he couldn't attack them himself, he would have to employee an outsider. It wasn't hard to find such men, Ron knowing many of the wizarding underworld from his time as an Auror, as well as his duties as Lucius's 'assistant'. He knew he could find such men who for a price would be willing to go along with his scheme. But he also knew it wouldn't come cheap. He would have to fall into some quick cash to make this come about. This was the sticking point. Ron knew he didn't have anywhere near the amount needed to fulfill this pursuit.

He sought desperately the solution to this problem. He could only think of one person he knew who had the means to make this plan a reality, and that was his Aunt Muriel. He knew she had countless artifacts of great worth stored in her vast museum of a home. He also knew it wouldn't be to terribly difficult to get inside. Being family he knew the wards she had up around her place wouldn't keep him out like they would other would be thieves.

It was midnight on a lonely and dark Saturday night. Ron crept stealthy and silently around the perimeter of his Aunt's huge mansion. He eyed it with clear and focused eyes, knowing to pull this off he would have to be stone cold sober. If he pulled this off he'd celebrate by drinking himself stupid, but for know he had to maintain a clear head. He knew his Aunt was sleeping deeply inside, hopefully he could just slip and out, that way he wouldn't have to attack her and wipe her memory.

The thought of this didn't worry him so much, he just always liked the path of least resistance. He made his way through the invisible ward that protected her home from prowlers and walked up to her huge oak front door.

He pointed his wand at the door and whispered, "Alohomora", he heard the metallic click of the lock being undone. He looked at his wand, he did enjoy this new magical tool, having purchased it from Ollivander after Harry had snapped his in two.

He silently opened the door and made his way inside. It was dark, nearly pitch black inside. It was perfectly silent. Not a sound was heard expect Ron's footsteps on the soft carpet. Ron crept through the large foyer, then through the hall to the stairs to the second story of the house. The steps creaked under his heavy footfalls, Ron was really shite at creeping. He finally made it to the up the stairs and looked to the end of the expansive hall, eyeing his quarry. Two large doors that lead to what Ron knew to be the room that contained his Aunt's most ancient and exotic treasures.

Ron made his way over to the doors and quickly and quietly opened them, revealing the sprawling room. Once inside he took a moment to scan the room's contents. There were suits of goblin made armor. Also loads of ancient goblin made weapons. Huge Scottish claymores hung on the walls, along with heavy war maces, daggers, crossbows. Long pikes and war hammers. The place looked to be a shrine to medieval combat.

He knew these artifacts of a long forgotten era were too cumbersome, he needed something smaller, more manageable. He looked to the far side of the room and saw a large wooden curio with large glass panels proudly showing off the several jewel encrusted pieces of fine goblin workmanship. As Ron approached he saw something he was familiar with, and he thought it perfect. It was his Aunt's tiara, the one Fleur had worn at her and Bill's wedding, than after being sported by Ginny when she married Harry. Ron reached for the cabinets latch and at once his hand felt as if it had been plunged into a center of a huge block of ice. He immediately tore his hand back, rubbing the now numb meat hook.

Damn he thought, the old bat has cast her wards well. Ron knew he hadn't the skill to break through. There was now only one way to get what he needed. He turned and made his way back out of the room and crept back down the hall. He walked its length until he was before the door to the master bedroom, from which he could already hear his ancient Aunt's loud snores. He opened the door and looked at her slumbering form in her large lavish four poster bed. He walked to her bedside and pointed his wand at her and whispered, "Imperio".

At once he felt a warmness emit from his arm through his wand as his Aunt sat up, eyes open now, a look of serene vacuous blankness etched on her wrinkled face. Ron commanded her to rise take her wand and follow him, which she did. She followed as he lead her back to the treasure room and once there he ordered her to remove her ward and give him the Tiara. She obeyed, waving her wand, causing the doors to the curio to fly open. She reached in the center of the soft red velvet lining found inside and grasped the tiara, then immediately handed it to Ron's greedy and eager outstretched hand. Once he had it he knew he couldn't have her missing it so he pointed his wand at it and said, "Geminio" causing a duplicate to appear.

He handed Muriel the fake and ordered her to put it in the place of the original. He knew if she examined it closely she would discover the fake but he didn't worry to much about it, even if she did she wouldn't know it had been him that took it. He ordered her to relock the curio and put the wards back up. After she did he lead her back to her room and once there he ordered her to go back to sleep. Once she had he wiped her memory just to be safe and left the mansion in haste.

Once outside he looked at the diamond and moonstone prize clutched firmly in his greedy paws. He was closer to his goal now.

The next day he used his underworld contacts to rid himself of the priceless artifact, getting two hundred and fifty thousand galleons for it, only a fraction of its true worth put he was in a hurry to rid himself of it, and he knew it would be enough.

Once he had the money he apparated himself to a small, dank and dirty tavern in the Transylvanian countryside, a hang out of many a dark wizard. He secured his long dark robes around himself and raised his hood as he pushed open the swinging doors to the noxious pub.

Ron eyed the surroundings wearily. It was dark, with a neglected look. Several small tables were strewn about. The place was nearly empty except for a group of four wizards all talking quietly to themselves in the far corner. Ron recognized them, they were the ones that escaped that night he had drunkenly slipped on his ass in Romania. They were perfect he thought as he approached him. They fell silent as he walked up, all looking at him with malicious suspicion.

"Good evening gentlemen, mind if I join you for a drink, theres some business I'd like to discuss with you," Ron said coolly, trying to sound impressive, but not doing a very good job.

The tallest of the lean and dangerous looking wizards spoke, "Ve have nothing to discuss with strangers, lower your hood," he ordered firmly.

Ron was hesitant but complied, once his red hair was exposed they knew him at once, all now rising, drawing their wands and pointing them straight at Ron's chest, "I know you, you're that Auror, Potter's partner, who took our friends to prison, you must have a death wish," the tall lean wizard said, a look of pure death in his eyes.

Ron talked quickly, "EX, Auror, and believe me I want Potter dealt with just as badly as you do, I assure you we have the same goal in mind, believe me in this, there is a service I require from you and your friends here and I'm willing to pay handsomely for it," Ron said in a shaky voice, fearing he had overstepped himself here.

"So you say, but how can we trust you," sneered the tall wizard.

"I've brought this," Ron said holding out a large bag of gold, throwing it on the table, letting it spill open, at the sight of the gold inside they began to lower their wands, enraptured by the promise of more, "There's fifty thousand galleons in there, a good faith gesture, just so you can see I'm serious in this," Ron said, once again finding his voice as they put their wands away.

They resumed their seats and began to exam the gold, fingering it with lustful greed, "You have our attention, please sit," the tall wizard said, magically calling for another seat to appear.

Ron sat, and at once went into his plans, "OK now I know you're a band that will do anything for a price," he began but was hastily cut off by the tall wizard.

"Almost anything, ve wont go against Potter for any amount of gold, ve have no death wish," the tall wizard said, just the slightest hint of fear heard in his voice, causing his comrades to voice their agreement.

"It's not that," Ron said quickly, "When the time comes I'll handle Potter personally, no, what I need from you is much easier I promise. You are familiar with the Malfoy's I take it," Ron asked causing them all to nod, "Good now here's what I need, Narcissa, Lucius Malfoy's wife, and Draco his son have brunch every Sunday at the three broomsticks in Hogsmead, I need you three to attack them, make it fast, disarm them so they can't defend themselves. Make it seem your there for some kind of vengeance for something Lucius has done to you, make them believe your going to kill them."

"So you want us to kill Malfoy's vife and son," the tall wizard inquired.

Ron shook his head in response, "No I just want you to make them believe you are going to, then I will appear from the shadows and stop you. Make it look good, fire curses over my head, but in the end let me beat you all and then apparate away, like your really afraid. If you do that there's another fifty thousand of these babies in it for you," Ron said, motioning to the gold on the table.

They all looked confused, "So you vant us to make it to vhere you can play the hero, vhy," asked the tall wizard.

"That's my business, I have my reasons, so what do you say, are you in," Ron asked.

They all looked around to each other, than just shrugged their shoulder's, hey easy money, they thought. They all nodded, causing Ron to break into an earsplitting smile.

Narcissa and Draco Malfoy walked out of the three broomsticks together. Draco wearing an extremely sour expression on his pale and pointed face. He and his mother were having the same argument, the one they had been having for the last month. Ever since Draco proudly announced his engagement. Which caused his parents to deeply disapprove of his choice of bride. But he didn't care, he didn't care if they didn't like it, or if it did get him cut out of the will. He had truly fallen in love and was going to marry Luna Lovegood. They had begun dating a year and a half ago, after her return to Britain after her trek around the world, looking for her elusive mythical creatures. She sadly didn't find any, and returned home. She took a post at the ministry in the regulation of magical creatures department. That's where they had reintroduced themselves, Draco also working at the ministry, in the department of magical cooperation, really just to further his and fathers nefarious contacts. But ever since he had asked Luna to lunch one day he found himself drawn less and less to the darker side of life.

They fell in love and were now going to be married, no matter how much his parents disapproved. His mother took out her wand to apparate back to the manor when all at once they were surrounding by shadowy hooded and masked figures. Both Narcissa and Draco tried to stun them but were disarmed quickly. The tall dark wizard approached the frightened duo, Draco stepping forward to shield his mother from his advance.

"How very noble of you to protect your mother, but it vill not save you, your going to pay the debt you father owes us, both you and your mother are going to pay, with your life's," he said in a high clear voice dripping evilly wicked intent.

The four masked men began to lower their wands when they heard a loud cry from their backs, "Stop and back away from them you scum" Ron cried from behind them, trying for a noble heroic tone but really just sounding laughable.

They spun and at once fired curses which conveniently flew over his head. Ron let his wand fall twice in rapid succession, stunning the wizards, flanking the ones in the middle. The ones left began circling Ron, firing two powerful curses which again of course missed, Ron making like he had actually dodged them.

Ron fired another stunning spell, which hit the one on the left square in the chest, causing him to fall hard to the ground. The tall wizard then acting like he was afraid of Ron grabbed his fallen comrades and pulled them to their feet, once he did they all apparated away. Leaving Ron standing alone before the awestruck figures of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy.

Draco walked up and took Ron's hand, "Wow Weasley I never thought you had it in you, that was really something man, you saved our skins," Draco said in a tone of true gratitude. Narcissa too rushed forward to thank Ron for his 'heroic' deeds. After once again extending their heartfelt thanks Narcissa and Draco bided Ron farewell and apparated away, leaving Ron to smile, so far so good he thought, as he too apparated away to settle his debt with his nefarious allies.

The next day Ron walked up to the stately handsome Malfoy Manor, acting as if it were any other day. He made his way into Lucius's large and rather lush office. Lucius rose from behind his desk and smiled warmly, well as warmly as a man like that could, which in reality was little more than a smirk.

"Ron, Ron my boy I heard of your heroics yesterday, I must thank you, deeply from the bottom of my heart, I feel a hefty reward is in order, after all it's hard to repay someone for saving the ones you love but please let me try. Tell me young man how much would you think fair," Lucius asking, truly wanting to reward Ron for his loyal service.

"Well sir to be honest its not money I want, no what I was thinking is maybe you could grant me access to your restricted library here at the manor," Ron said as humbly as he could.

Lucius's face went even paler than it already was, which is saying something. He hadn't expected this, no one since the dark lord has requested access to this store of evil knowledge. He himself never liking to do much research in there, not because he feared or didn't want to do such dark magic. No, it was because he was pleased with his wealth and status and as long as the ministry was on the side of light he didn't want to tamper with anything that could negatively affect that.

Lucius swallowed hard and eyed Ron, "Why would you want access," he asked in a somewhat breathless tone.

"Just morbid curiosity," Ron lied, Lucius knowing it to be a lie too. But then again he really didn't want to know what Ron's true intent was.

Finally after thinking it over he decided that if this was the reward Ron wanted he would give it to him, "Very well, but for today and today only, and I must stress this do not remove any books, you may read but not take any with you is that understood," Lucius said firmly.

Ron nodded, "yes sir."

"Very well, follow me," he ordered, leading Ron out of the room.

They walked to the far side of the house until they stood before a small ancient looking black door. Lucius waved his wand before it and ordered it to open. Once it did Lucius lit the tip of his wand as he and Ron began to walk down several hard stone steps. They descended father down into the depths of the underground portion of the manor, and it did indeed run deep underground. Finally they reached the bottom and they now stood before a great stone archway that lead into any ancient library full of stacks of books. It was cold and stark where they stood, with a sort of eerie blue glow around them. The place felt like a catacomb, causing Ron to shiver slightly.

Lucius waved his wand again, dropping the ward that stood before the stone archway. They walked inside and at once torches that hung on the wall sprung to life, casting the stacks in their glow. Ron now looked at row upon row of dusty decaying looking tomes. They each gave off a very unnerving vive. Like your hand would be infected if you were to even touch them.

Lucius turned and face Ron, "Now as I've said you may to whatever you going to do until sundown, after that be gone from this room, do you understand," he asked, causing Ron to nod, "Good and I reiterate, do not attempt to remove any of these books, if you do I will know, is that understood?"

"Yes sir, thank you," Ron said causing Lucius to nod. He turned and walked quickly from the room, leaving Ron to attempt to find what he was desperately looking for. Ron immediately took several dusty tomes from their resting places and tore into them.

After several hours he had a massive migraine, never liking to read much. He had been sitting here on the cold stone ground reading and he was no closer to achieving his end. Every single evil curse and spell he ran across was well beyond his abilities and he knew it. He began to wish the library stored a book entitled 'Dark and evil magic for dummies'. He began to lose hope when he found a certain title that caught his attention. The front of the decrepit tome read, "Secrets of the magic's most evil snares".

He opened it and began to read. A little while after he had begun he finally found what he was looking for, an ingenious and devastating trap, that when set properly would cause the recipients to meet a very painful end. Best of all it surprisingly wasn't to difficult to perform. All that was really required was a truly evil and wicked intent deep in the casters soul to cause his targets utter pain before they meet a miserable end. Ron smiled with a truly malicious sneer as he pulled a piece of parchment from the depths of his robes. He conjured a quill and he began to copy the instructions word for word. Making sure to get every last one. Once he was done he returned the books and placed the parchment deep in his pocket and laughed deep inside his soul. Let's see you get by this one Potter, he thought wickedly to himself.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Hermione breathed a heavy sigh as she sat in her office working to finishing some paperwork. She hated working on Sundays, mostly because that's the day Harry had off and her having to work meant they couldn't spend the day together. But another healer had a family emergency to deal with so she was called in. She had just finished when she heard a soft rasp on her door.

"Come in," she called.

The door opened and the unmistakable figure of Luna Lovegood walked dreamily inside. Hermione looked up and smiled. She rose from her desk and walked around to hug her friend.

"Hey Luna, what brings you here today," Hermione asked brightly.

"I just wanted to drop this off personally," she said holding out a large intricately decorated envelope, "It's an invitation to my and Draco's engagement party, I do hope you and Harry can attend. It's next Saturday at my father's house," Luna said in a sweet dreamy voice.

"Oh I'd love to come, and I'm sure Harry would to, I still can't believe that you're actually marrying Draco Malfoy," Hermione said in an amused tone.

Luna just smiled, "I know but nobody knows him like I do, there's a really sweet side to Draco nobody but me gets to see," Luna said beaming.

"I'll take your word for it, so how are the wedding plans coming," Hermione said, settling back into her chair as Luna sat softly in the one opposite her.

"Oh it's coming along quite lovely, I've never been happier, everything's going so well, the music, the decorations, the flowers, I swear Alcott's is the best for magically enhanced flowers, you really should consider using him when your day comes," Luna said with a voice dripping with utter euphoria.

At the mention of her future wedding plans Hermione's smile faded, it was noticed by Luna, "What's wrong Hermione, did I say something wrong, I know I have a bad habit of doing that sometimes."

Hermione shook her head, "No Luna, you didn't say anything wrong," she said through a long sigh.

"Well what is it then," Luna asked, really concerned.

"Its just I don't know how much good a wedding florist will do me, seeing as Harry hasn't asked me yet, and looks as if he's content not to. Every time I even hint at the fact I'd like to get married he's quick to change the subject," Hermione said in a downcast tone.

"Well there must be an explanation, how long have you guys been together now," Luna asked.

"Two years," Hermione said with verve, as if the length were a significant sign as to Harry's objection to marriage.

"Oh ouch, that is a while, and you haven't discussed this," Luna asked.

"No, as I said, he never seems to really want to discuss it, I don't know, I mean its not like he's opposed to marriage, he married Ginny. I just think he's opposed to the idea of marrying me," Hermione said in a tone full of pain and insecurity.

Luna looked her friend square in the eyes as she said, "Hermione, how could you possibly believe that, Harry loves you so much. Anyone who sees how you two are together can see that. I don't think that's it at all. I feel maybe he still has some unresolved issues with what happened to Ginny. If you ask me I'd say he's scared," Luna said, always one to see the painful truths behind things.

Hermione was caught by this, the idea that Harry was scared, "What do you mean," she asked.

"Well think about it, everything that Harry's lost in his life has caused him to feel cursed, and I feel that he's afraid if he lets his life get to perfect that fate will once again take everything he loves away," Luna said in a firm, but still sing songy tone, "but one things for sure, you and he need to discuss this, you can't let something like this fester inside yourself, everybody knows the key to a successful relationship is communication. You need to get to the root of this hesitancy, and it may be hard, for both you and him but ultimately you'll both be stronger for it."

Hermione smiled slightly, she knew Luna was right, she was thankful to have someone as insightful as her to talk about these things with, since Ginny's passing and Luna's return Luna had truly become a treasured friend to Hermione.

"Thank you Luna, your right as well, we do need to talk about this, and you're also right about it not being easy," Hermione said through another long sigh.

"Nothing ever worth doing is, but that's why its worth it, well I think I'll let you get back to your work, I have to meet with the caterer to go over the menu, so can I expect to see you and Harry at the party," Luna asked lightly.

"For sure, and again thanks Luna, thanks for listening," Hermione said with a warm smile.

Luna returned it, "What are friends for, well I'll see you Saturday then, bye," Luna said as she floated out of the office.

Once she was gone Hermione sat back down and began to ponder what she had said, her and Harry did need to talk, now she just needed to think of the best way to go about it.

Hermione pondered this for the following week, but she never was able to find what she thought a good time to bring this up. Saturday rolled around and she and Harry happily prepared themselves for Luna and Draco's engagement party.

Harry had picked up on a sift in Hermione's mood during the past week. He felt as if there were something she wanted, no needed to get off her chest, and while he had his suspicions as to what was troubling her he still wasn't sure. And he was hesitant to go into certain dark areas, not wanting to bring old wounds up to the surface. But he also hated Hermione saddened by carrying something deep inside herself.

It probably wasn't the best time to bring it up but Harry did anyway. He walked into their bedroom as Hermione was doing her hair and started, "Jeanie there's something I've been wondering about," Harry said softly sitting on the bed as she sat in her chair in front of the large mirror that was mounded on her dresser.

"What's that love," Hermione said light, applying mascara carefully to each long beautiful lash.

"Well it seems like you've had something you've wanted to get off your chest, I was just wondering what that something was," Harry said looking straight into the mirror, letting her see his eyes in the reflection.

She froze, stopping what she was doing, she hadn't expected this. She thought she had been doing a good job hiding the fact that she had something she wanted to unburden herself with, but she could see now that wasn't the case.

She looked hesitantly at him, not knowing if she really want to bring it up now, "No Harry, I'm fine," she said, turning back to face the mirror once again.

"Jeanie please don't lie to me, your not very good at it, please baby, tell me what's wrong,' he asked gently.

Hermione huffed and let out an exacerbated sigh, "Well it's just that you know with all this hoopla over Luna's wedding I've just been thinking about us, you know you and me," she started but Harry finished her sentence.

"And when are we going to get married," Harry said through a sigh of his own. He had worried that this was the issue.

"Well honestly yes Harry, I mean I couldn't be happier about just being with you, I'd just like to know what's in store for us down the road. What our future holds," She said, turning to face him once again.

"I thought you always hated divination" Harry said through a smirk, one Hermione didn't return.

"Harry I'm being serious, I mean it's not like we're rushing anything, we have been together two years and a girl does like to think theres a light at the end of the tunnel," She said, her voice rising now.

"Why, why is marriage like a finish line women seem to be running for, only considering their relationships to be victories once they cross it. Aren't you happy just being with me, you know I love you and you love me why do we need anything else, why do we need a piece of parchment and a ceremony to prove that to ourselves" Harry said, his voice going up on decibel or two as well.

"It's not the paper or the ceremony, it's what those things represent, that you really and truly want to spend the rest of your life with me," she said rising to her feet now.

"Don't you believe that I do, do I really have to prove it to you," he said rising as well.

"Well it would make me feel more secure, make me feel that your," she began but cut herself off before she finished.

"What, feel that I'm what," he said nearly yelling now. The sound of it made Hermione's ire rise greatly and she blurted the last part of her statement.

"That your no longer married to a ghost," she said, herself screaming fully now.

Harry felt as if he'd been slapped hard across the face, of all the things she could have said this was one the cut him the most deeply. He suddenly felt himself going red hot with anger, and something deeper. It was a deep hurt, what she had said really hurt him. He didn't know if what she said was true, but he hated making her feel like she were in constant competition with the memories of Ginny. She didn't understand, but maybe it was time she did, "That's not it at all, it's not that I felt more for her than I do for you, I can't believe you'd actually feel like that."

"Well then what is it, you seemed to have no problem marrying her," Hermione huffed.

"I'm scared alright, you want to hear the truth I'm afraid. So afraid of losing you, or us or what we have. Every time and I mean every time I let my guard down, thinking life perfect and feeling perfectly content that's when it strikes. That's when the powers at be swoop down and rain misery on me, taking everything I love away. You know more than once I wished I would have never married Ginny, than she would be alive and happy with someone else, and who knows maybe Ron wouldn't have turned into a sorry drunken bastard and you two could have been married and have been happy a long time ago, seeing that being married is the only way you can be happy," Harry said tearing his gaze away from her, a single painful tear running down his cheek, "it wasn't that I loved her more, how can you compare something like that. If you want to be real and know the truth than the truth is I've loved you much longer, so long I really don't know when it started."

It broke her heart to see the tear and she tried to make him face her again, her expression changed, going softer now, She placed her small soft hand on his cheek and gently touched his face, letting the warm tear run down her finger.

"Why didn't you ever tell me," she said softly.

"I don't know, there were many reasons, you seemed to have a connection with Ron, and you were both my best friends and I didn't want to be a road bock to your guys happiness. I didn't think you could ever see me that way. Not to mention there was always some stupid ass scheme cooked up by Voldemort or his cronies that kept us pretty busy. So I suppressed those feelings, and I fell for Ginny, and then she was taken from me and I didn't think I'd ever love again. And then we found each other, and it's been so perfect and so wonderful, I'm just so afraid of losing that."

Hermione just gazed at him, how much time is lost in fear she wondered. How much time do we lose by being afraid of being ourselves, afraid of listening to our hearts and following what they tell us. She knew herself to be just as guilty of this as Harry, she to had been afraid for many years of reveling her heart to him.

"I felt the same you know, during our time at school, I always felt what I feel now for you, but like you I was afraid of your rejection. Who knows how our lives would have been different if we could have just been honest with ourselves and each other," she said softly.

Harry just looked at her, he loved her so much, and the thought of holding himself back out of fear made him hate himself. He needed to walk and clear his mind, he needed to think clearly.

"I need to think, I'm going to walk around a bit while you finish up here," he said walking to their bedroom door.

She watched him go, wanting to stop him but not doing so. If he needed time to sort his mind and heart out she'd give it to him.

Harry walked to the front door of their cottage and opened it. He knew at once something was horribly wrong, he could sense what was there before he saw it. It emerged before him, a large rectangular cloud. Over seven feet tall and four feet wide. It was smoky and kept sifting between deep reds, rich lavenders and eerie blues. At once the cloud rushed forward and passed straight through him. Knocking him off his feet. Once it had past completely through it vanished.

Hermione heard the sound of the cloud made, a violent whishing sound, and a strange and loud sharp buzzing. She looked from the front of her bedroom as the cloud took Harry and knocked him off his feet. Once it vanished she rushed to his side.

Harry began to shake and convulse violently. Foam began seeping from his mouth as blood began to pour from his eyes, nose and ears. Fear and utter panic began taken hold of Hermione, but through it she thought she knew what the cloud had been, having read about something similar in an ancient medical text during her time at the academy, only she would be through enough to read every single book in the schools medical library, and if it were what she suspected then she knew Harry was violently hemorrhaging internally. She pulled out her wand and went straight to work on him. She was shaking so bad with fear she couldn't hold him steady. She needed help and she knew it, she put her arm around his neck and with great effort lifted him up and apparated them both through the ward to St. Mungo's. She apparated them right into the trauma room and immediately placed him on the stretcher inside.

"CODE BLUE," she cried at the top of her lungs.

At once the room began filling with healers and assistants, all running diagnostic tests.

An older male healer, who was Hermione's boss, was running his wand over Harry, "His bleeding internally, his vitals are failing, we're losing him."

"No damn it we are not losing him, Marcy," she cried to an assistant to her left, who looked up at once, "Run to my office, in the bottom right hand drawer there's my medical bag, in the bottom there's a small blue bottle that's filled with grey smoke, bring it here, fast," Hermione screamed in haste, praying that she were right.

She looked into Harry's eyes as he looked into hers. Then he gave a violent thrust and his eyes began to roll back and his breathing began to slow, she could feel his heartbeat begin to fade, "Damn it Harry you are not leaving me, not like this, fight damn it fight," she screamed both inside and out, praying, praying that it wouldn't end like this.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Harry slowly opened his eyes, his vision was blurred, as if his contacts had fell out. He couldn't clearly make out his surroundings. He felt different, somehow less substantial, lighter, like freed from the bounds of flesh. He could still feel though. He registered this fact by touching his face, it felt real enough. He stood up and looked around, and he saw nothing, literally nothing. The whole expanse around him was all white, but a white he had never seen before. It was a sort of translucent white, like the area around him was immaterial. He looked down at himself, as his eyes cleared, his vision sharpening now. He was still wearing what he had on before. The last thing he remembered was looking deep into Hermione's eyes before a blinding pain took him.

Is this it, he thought, has that bitch fate finally won and claimed his life, he didn't know. If he was dead where was he? This wasn't like before, for one thing the scene didn't begin taking shape, it stayed an infinite sea of white, that went on forever. He didn't really feel as if he were standing or floating, it was hard to explain. It was as if there were no floor, nor sky, it was all white.

It was weird, Harry thought that with death came a certain feeling of peace, but he didn't feel that. He felt frustrated, frustrated by the fact that he couldn't figure his surroundings out. These feelings were assaulting his mind when he heard a soft and familiar voice at his back, the sound made him jump.

"Hello Harry, it's wonderful to see you again my love," the voice said in a voice that filled Harry's heart, it held a mesmerizing quality about it, like it filled the whole of the infinite expanse.

He spun and the figure he saw caught him. She was wearing a flowing white gown that shone with a brilliant white illumination that transfixed his senses. Her pale skin seemed to glow with this other worldly light as well, which held her fiery hair in even greater contrast. He just looked at her for a moment, never in her life had she looked so beautiful, so perfect.

Ginny," he finally managed to get out in a tone that was less than a whisper.

"Yes my love," she responded.

"Does this mean it's finally over, does this mean I'm dead," he asked, almost hopefully.

"I don't know Harry, I can't tell you if you are, but if I'd have to guess I'd say your close, nearly there in fact, but if I know Hermione she'll do all she can to bring you back, be thankful you've found someone like her, she'll try with her last breath to save you, and knowing her like I do I really don't think she'll fail," Ginny said in a dreamy voice, smiling warmly at her husband.

"What if I don't want her to save me, what if I want to stay, stay here with you," Harry said, feeling truly confused himself, not really knowing what he wanted himself.

"Harry you know the answer to that, you know deep down you want to return, return to her, and before you start I'm not angry over this, in fact it's what I want, you and she can have something that's not possible for us now, you and she can have a life, a long and happy life full of love, and I want, no I need for you to have that. I've watched you Harry, I've seen the pain you've brought on yourself and it's being tearing me up, you know your pain is my pain, and watching you fall apart has been unbearable. That's why I was so happy when you and Hermione found each other, she gave you what you needed to bring yourself out of that pain. And once you were I could truly be at peace. You know I still love you, as I've said that will never change, so for that I need you to be happy. You can stop Harry, you can stop blaming yourself and holding yourself back out of fear, I need you to move past what happened to me and let yourself find the happiness you deserve, if not for yourself then please do it for me," she finished now standing right in front of him, piercing his very being with her delicate eyes, letting him read the truth she felt in them while gently taking his hand into hers.

Harry stood awestruck, he didn't know what to say, finally he managed to find his voice, "I'm sorry Ginny I really am, it has been hard, I've just missed you so much" he said in a slightly quivering tone, wondering to himself in he could even cry here.

"You don't have to apologize, I've told you it wasn't your fault and that's the truth, and believe me I've missed you too, but you know we've never really left each other, we still have each other stored in here," she said pointing to her chest where her heart once beat, "But that doesn't mean you can't truly love someone else, in many ways I feel it should have always been like this. Don't get me wrong, I cherished our time together and wouldn't have done anything different, but seeing how you are with her I can see your heart is truly hers, and you don't have to feel guilty about that, there's so much love a person carries inside its not unreasonable for them to truly love two people, but when you get down to it, it seems you two were meant to end up sharing each others life, sharing each others souls." she said.

"So you don't regret it, our life together," he asked in a longing tone, reaching his hand out, being so grateful for the fact he could touch her soft face.

"Harry," she said in a low tone, "How can you even ask me that, of course I don't, it meant so much to me, it was truly the happiest time of my life, but we can't control what happens to us, the universe has a will of its own and we are just along for the ride, that's not to say we don't have free will to choose how our lives are lead, but in a contest of wills the hands of fate will always win" she said.

Harry again didn't know how to respond, his heart flooded with true affection for her, he reached forward and wrapped his arms firmly around her, he held her tightly in them for what felt like an eternity, it may well have been as time is not a part of this reality.

He finally let her go and she once again looked deeply in his eyes, as if it were a sight she would never be able to get enough of, She smiled and leaned forward, pressing her soft lips firmly to his cheek. She just looked at him and then looked down, a bit disheartened now.

"What's wrong Ginny," he asked lightly.

"It's my worthless excuse of a brother, you know he did this to you, and to achieve it he's had to call upon truly evil magic, which means if he dies before finding redemption he will face an unspeakably horrible fate, so please Harry, I know you want to, but please for me, and my parents, please don't end his life," she asked in a pleading voice.

Harry just looked at her, he read her pain in her eyes and it broke his heart, "For you, but he has to answer for this, I can't live my life constantly worried about what sort of schemes he's cooking up, and I promise I wont kill him, but I will take a different kind of vengeance, and please, please don't look upon me when I do because I don't want you to see it," he answered in a deep rich tone.

"OK Harry, I promise, I wont look, and I wont even bother saying not to because I know he deserves it, so do what you have to, and after that I only hope he can find redemption in Azkaban, one last thing my love, I want you to have this back," she said softly, while taking his hand and placing something hard and cold into it.

He looked down and what he saw made his breath stall, "But how, you were buried with it," he said in a breathless tone.

"I know but it's been in your family for generations, and that's where it should stay, Hermione needs to pass it to Lily when she comes," she said smiling as she began to slowly back away from him. She wasn't walking or floating, it was as if she were being pulled away, no wait, she wasn't being pulled away, he was, he was being pulled hard and fast backwards.

The whiteness before his eyes began to fade as he watched Ginny smile and wave, "Goodbye my love, until we meet again live well and be happy," was the last words he caught before the scene completely dissolved and he felt himself falling, free falling hard. He felt as if he had hit the ground hard and his eyes shot open.

Like before it took him a moment to gauge his surroundings, their were several people standing over him, speaking rapidly to each other, he couldn't make out what they were saying clearly.

"His vitals are stabilizing, looks like he's going to pull through, good work Hermione, the blood stone potion worked," he heard the voice of any older man say.

He tried to move but found he couldn't, it felt as if his limps were petrified. It was now that people had registered the fact that he was awake. Hermione being the first amongst them as she leaned over him and nearly broke her face in a wide smile, "Harry don't try to move, I had to give you a potion that solidifies yours organs and blood vessels, it stopped the bleeding long enough for us to heal them completely, your going to be fine baby, oh Harry I love you so much don't ever scare me like that again," she said in a truly relieved voice while throwing her arms around his stiff neck, kiss him full on the mouth, which he could nether feel nor return.

He could move his lips slightly though, "I Love You too," he managed to whisper in her ear before he again feel asleep, the treatments and potions leaving him wiped completely.

He awoke a full day later, just as the bright steaks of the new day began poking their warming rays through the window of his room. He looked over to a chair beside his bed and saw Hermione sleeping softly with her head resting on her chest. Harry tried to sit up, finding he could move again but still feeling extremely sore. He finally managed and propped himself up and just looked at her, unsure whether he wanted to wake her or not. He did just love watching her sleep. His question was answered as the sound of a stretcher was heard being loudly pushed past his room. The sound caused Hermione's head to jerk somewhat, she brought it up and looked at Harry sitting up in his bed through a half open eye. She beamed like the fires of a thousand suns, so relieved he was OK.

"Morning" she said groggily.

"Morning, what the hell happened to me, what was that cloud," Harry asked, truly wanting to know what had done this to him even though he knew who was behind it.

"I don't fully know, but I think it was something called the soul flame net, it's a trap that hasn't been used since the tenth century, during the great wizard giant wars, see due to their extremely thick skins the killing curse doesn't really work on them, so new and more devastating hexes were invented, but nothing more devious or underhanded as that one. It was banned completely, the knowledge of how to cast it was thought lost, I don't know where a person could even learn it," Hermione said truly puzzled by this.

"If it's so rare how did you know about it," Harry asked.

"During my time at the academy I read about as many treatments I could, and I found a recipe for a potion that basically turns ones organs into a petrified form to stop internal bleeding, it was found in a historical text that documented cases of this during the wars, I thought the potion handy to have so I brewed some a while ago and had it in my bag. When I saw the cloud and then ran my diagnostic scans and found you hemorrhaging I suspected that was the what it was, I just don't know who would even know how to cast such a terrible spell," Hermione said in disgust, chills running down her spine at the thought of someone conniving enough to actually resort to using it.

Harry thought about it, and knew at once who and how. Now it was clear to him, now he knew why Ron had begun working for Lucius Malfoy, to get access to his restricted library. Every Auror ever to walk the beat knew of this nefarious collection of banned ancient dark magic. Harry felt himself a fool for not seeing it before, but even if he had there was not much he could have done about it, it not being illegal to work for the Malfoy's. His anger was beginning to rise as he saw Ron's plan clearly now. The trap was meant for both he and Hermione. Ron knew of the party, Draco and Luna's engagement party. Being so close to Lucius now he would know of such things. He also knew they were friends with Luna so they would defiantly attend. Harry could now see Ron's intent, to catch them both with the net as they left for the party. Leaving them both struck and bleeding to death on the floor. And that's what would have happened if Harry hadn't tried to leave first to go for a walk. Hum, he thought to himself, maybe fate wasn't so terribly cruel, by making him leave in haste it saved Hermione from enduring this and made it possible for her to save him and bring him back.

Harry was still full of a glowing red wrath for what Ron had tried to do to him and Hermione, so much so he nearly forgot his promise to Ginny. But the memory of his encounter with her was burned into his mind, he knew he would never forget it. He would keep good to his promise, he wouldn't kill Ron, but he would make him pay dearly for this.

He was brought out of his thoughts of rage and revenge by the sight of Hermione standing and walking over to his bedside. She motioned for him to move over so she could get into bed with him, which he did. She wrapped her arm around his neck and brought his mouth into hers for a tender and yet still hotly passionate kiss. Harry's numbness and soreness began to fade as he could feel her titillating talented tongue work to recesses of his mouth. Harry could feel her fear over what had happened leave her soul through the kiss, she was exorcising those demons by making sure he were real, and really here. And to do that she felt she had to snog him rotten. After their very passionate make out session she removed her lips from his and just stared deep into his eyes.

"I was so scared Harry, seeing you lying there, not knowing if you were going to make it I realized that I would die if I lost you. Not figuratively either, my heart would stop have literally stopped beating and I would have dropped to the floor dead. I realized then that I don't care if we ever get married, I'm content to simply be wi…" she began to say but was silenced by Harry's fingers pressed softly to her lips.

"Marry me Jeanie," he blurted out in haste, "Marry me so our lives can find that completeness," he said through a voice of truth and deep convictions.

She just stared blankly at him for a moment, then she looked away, "You don't have to do this if its not what you wa…" she was again cut off by Harry whipping her head around, once again roughly covering her mouth his, putting his heart behind the kiss, letting her know that this was indeed what he wanted.

Once they broke apart again he clenched his fist and felt the same cold metallic feel that he had when he was with Ginny in the other plain, he had held it firm since his return.

He took Hermione's face as he spoke, "Jeanie I don't want this, I need it, I truly do, my heart and soul truly needs this peaceful contentment in my life. I love you so much that if we can't be married it would destroy me, really it would. No longer will I ever be afraid to live my life, the evil that soaks the world has held that power over me for to long, from now on my life is mine and I'm going to live it like I bloody well want to, so I ask you again, Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry a sorry, dangerous, damaged git like me," Harry finished smiling wryly.

She jumped on him, forcing him onto his back as she wrapped her legs around his middle, straddling him as she lowered herself for another kiss. After she lifted her head she shone like the sun as she said, "Yes, yes, yes, a million and one times yes, I love you so much Harry Potter," she practically yelled.

Harry smiled as he took his clenched hand, "I know this isn't a ring but I'd still like you to have it," he said as he revealed a platinum necklace that carried a precious emerald stone in its center, the one he had given Ginny all those years ago, his families heirloom.

She was stunned as he undid the clasp, she held her hair so he could reclasp it around her beautifully long slender neck. She looked down at it hanging low across her chest. She looked up and smiled, "But Harry how, I thought it was buried with Ginny," she said through a breathless tone.

He simply gave her a side mouthed smirk, "Hey It's a kind of magic."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lucius sat silently behind his large ornate oak desk, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. He was writing a letter to a contact on the wizenagmont. He had to know if he had his support if the truth came out. He knew what had happened to Potter, their world's famed hero, and an Auror to boot. He knew what his fool of an assistant did to his once friend, and he knew full well where he got the tools to pull off this attack. He had to ensure he was protected from any of this coming back on him. He now cursed himself for ever giving that fool access to his private stores of ancient knowledge. He wasn't to terribly worried though. He knew Potter was no fool, and would put it all together, but even so there wasn't much he could do about it under the law.

Poor naïve Lucius, still believing that Harry was interested in operating under the law. There was loud pounding heard at the front doors of the manor and Lucius looked up annoyed. Who could that be, pounding on my door so disrespectfully, he wondered. He rose and made his way out of his office, through his disgustingly rich and opulent manor to his front door. He threw it open and the sight struck him. There was Harry, seeming to be freshly emerged from the shadows of hell, standing like a terrible ancient God, alive with a burning wrath. A wrath that had to be answered for. Lucius quelled a bit, obviously frightened by seeing Harry looking like he was there to tear Lucius's eyes out and squash them on the floor.

"Can I help you, Potter," Lucius said through a shaky voice.

"Yeah, you can get the hell out of my way," Harry said with slow deliberation, his voice oozing with deathly anger.

Lucius steadied himself a bit, he may have been afraid but his pride would not permit him to stand for this, "I beg your pardon," he answered in a contempt rich tone.

"Did I stutter, am I speaking a foreign language, I don't think I am, you heard and understood me just fine, and if you make me repeat myself I will fully loss my temper," Harry said, advancing until he was face to face with the pale and sweating wretch.

Lucius swallowed hard and leaned back, wiping the sweat from his brow, he recomposed himself and replaced his high and haughty look once again, "May I see a warrant," he asked trying with all he had to keep his voice steady.

"Sure, here's my warrant," Harry said, and in a motion of lighting speed he whipped his wand towards to villainous dog, knocking him a good seven feet back with an extremely powerful pummel curse, causing blood to begin to pour from Lucius's mouth profusely.

Lucius grabbed his bleeding mouth, looking incensed as he tried to rise. Harry tore inside the manor, slamming the door hard behind him. After turning and sending another powerful shot to the now knelling Lucius, knocking him on his back once again, this shot cracking a few ribs. Lucius clutched his side as dire pain etched itself across his pointed face.

"How dare you, I'll have your badge for this Potter, what gives you the right," Lucius cried, and for it he received another curse white hot across the face, feeling as if a thick leather whip had just struck him very, very hard, causing a weld to immediately appear.

"What gives me the right you ask, well maybe nothing, but then again maybe everything, I'm no longer playing defense you fucker, I've got the ball and I'm on offense now. I'm tired of waiting and reacting to miserable bastards like you and your ilk coming at me in underhanded ways. No Malfoy from here on in any time I even smell a threat I'm stomping it out, as well as the insects that that hatch it," Harry said in a truly terrifying voice, as if the fires of hell were at his beck and call.

"I had nothing to do with what happened to you Potter, Weasley did that all on his own," Lucius cried, abandoning his snobbishly haughty pretense now, letting his true cowardly nature reveal itself.

"Oh I know that Malfoy, I know he did it on his own, but he got instruction on how from your vault of misery, don't even try to deny it or I'll give you another taste," He said, pointing his wand at his face to silence the protesting Luicus, "And now if you want me gone from your home and your life you are going to take me to that same vault and give me what you gave him," Harry didn't ask, but ordered.

"Why," demanded Lucius, for which he received another piece of Harry's ire.

"Because I said so, now pick your miserable arse up and march Malfoy," Harry said looking him straight in the eyes with a piercing stare.

Lucius needed no more encouragement, seeing in Harry eyes that he wasn't playing in the least. Seeing that if he didn't comply he'd suffer greatly for it. He scrambled to his feet and led the way to the far side of the house, Harry hot on his heels. Lucius dropped the ward before the door that lead to the stairway that descended to his crypt. They quickly made their way down and once they stood before the great stone archway Lucius again waved his wand, dropping the ward. Without another word Harry stunned him unconscious, leaving him lying on the cold stone floor as he made his way inside the library.

Once inside he began tearing books furiously off the shelves, looking hastily at the titles before throwing them into a large pile. It took him a while but finally he found the book he sought, it was entitled "Magic's most vile elixirs". He hastily stowed the tome under his arm as he continued ripping books off their shelves and tossing them into the ever growing mountain of ancient evil. It took him a fair amount of time but once he had all the books piled high he looked at the huge mount of horribly devilish malice. He pointed his wand at them and cried, "Confringo" causing the pile of books to explode into flames.

Harry watched as the books burned, the reflection of which could be seen in his eyes as he watched with a certain satisfaction. He now knew the wicked knowledge found within would no longer be a threat to the innocent of the world. He didn't care if this came back on him, he didn't care if there would be hell to pay. For him in that moment all that really mattered was that this was for the greater good of his world. After the pile smoldered and was not but ash Harry walked out if the once library, past the still unconscious Lucius, still clutching firm to the book he had taken on making truly horrible potions. After he was finished with it, it to would face the same fate as the others. He walked quickly up the winding stone steps and out of the manor, to prepare to visit his Ex best friend.

Ron paced back and forth in a small ram shackled shack of a structure here in the Albanian countryside. He had fled here after he had discovered Harry had survived his trap. The thought infuriated him, how the hell did he survive, he thought, I cast it perfect, and why wasn't Hermione with him, why didn't it hit them both, he wondered. He knew it had been Hermione's quick intervention that had saved Harry's life. He was extremely frustrated, and honestly quite scared as well. He knew Harry would come after him for this. That's why he fled here to this remote stretch of Albania. He would wait here until the heat was off and try again. He was undaunted in his quest to end both Harry and Hermione.

Suddenly Ron was caught off guard by the small door to his shack being blasted away into splinters. Ron grabbed his wand and looked as a tall and terrifying figure strode into the small room, looking epic and horrifying, as if the devil himself had come to collect his due.

At once Ron tried for a stunning cursed but the terrifying figure parried it easily and sent a one in response, which blackened Ron's eyes and knocked two of his teeth out. The figure came into better view now, his wild raven hair blowing in a hard breeze, his piercing green eyes shining with a hard rage filled the flames of death.

Ron tried once again tried to stun him but he caught the curse with his wand and sent another devastating blow to Ron's middle. Ron doubled over, clutching his stomach as he shot Harry a look of pure hate. He sneered as he pointed his wand and cried, "Crucio." Harry leapt to right to dodge the curse and felt he had let Ron get by with to much already.

He pointed his wand at him and cried, "Expelliarmus." At once Ron's wand went flying from his hand and Harry rose and once again sent curse after curse at him, but not to his face or middle. On no, he sent a volley of pummeling curses right to Ron's groin. Ron cried out as his pathetic berries were hit hard over and over and over again. His eyes crossed and he finally couldn't take anymore as he fell unconscious to the ground.

Ron came to when Harry threw a bucket of icy water on him. Rom struggled, as he could now see and feel that he had been bound to his small dirty bed. Ron struggled hard in vain against the slivery ropes that held his wrists and legs firm as Harry took a seat beside him in a small wooded chair.

"Hello Ron, miss me," Harry said in a lightly casual tone, smiling as he did.

"Fuck you Potter, let me go, you got me, you can take me in now 'captain'." Ron cried in anger and stark fear.

"Oh I'll take you in, in due time, but I'm not quite finished with you yet. You see when I realized it was you who tried to kill both me and my bride to be," Harry begun causing Ron's face to go as red as his hair, the sight not going unnoticed by Harry, who now smiled even wider at seeing it, "Oh you haven't heard, yes Hermione and I are going to be married, and I'm really looking forward to some hot honeymoon sex, I hear its better than vacation sex, so we'll just have to see." Harry said grinning at Ron's mounting rage, Harry relishing in his taunting of Ron's bruised ego, why not lay it on a little more he thought, "You know most of our sex is so, so hot, you'd be surprised how much of a wildcat she can become between the sheets, well I can see you've never really seen that in her before, not surprising, it takes a real man to bring that out in her."

"Fuck you Potter," Ron screamed in painful wrath.

"No thank you, I have your Ex for that," Harry said laughing slightly now, "Well reminiscing about getting to sleep with a goddess like Hermione every night is fun but now on to business," Harry said, withdrawing a white bottle from his robes, it had a green liquid swishing inside, "I was wondering Ron do you know what this is, no, well please let me enlighten you, this is a devilish little potion called memorisity incarnate. I first ran across it with Dumbledore, while we were hunting Voldemort's horcrux in that cave. It intrigued me, so I did a little research on it, thanks to a little visit to Malfoy's private library, what you think you're the only one to get the idea. Well anyways your probably wondering what it does, well simply put, it makes you relive the worst moments of your life. You see them over and over again, like an endless loop. But I've modified it a bit, which wasn't easy let me tell you, you should feel yourself special that I would take the time to work so hard on it just for you. Anyway I've made it so it will not only force you to relive those days, but even make up new ones. All accompanied with terrible pain. Oh it is a miserable way to live the rest of your life, which you will because I also made this a max dose, which means it will never wear off, not until you do one thing, and that's find your redemption, you must truly feel remorse for your heinous actions and find a way to do penance for those sins, until you do it will never end,' Harry said through a wicked grin, "I warned you not to interfere in my life again, I warned you of the consequences, what did you think I was bluffing, think I didn't have the stones, well you were wrong, now your going to pay you miserable bastard," Harry said suddenly rising, forcing Ron's mouth open and pouring the potion down his throat. Once down Harry forced his mouth closed and held his nose firmly, forcing him to swallow. Once he did he stopped struggling and went limp. Harry let go and took a step back. A moment later Ron thrust upward violently as he began to scream. A truly blood curdling scream, it pierced the whole of the room, the whole of the countryside, hell even school children back in Britain looked up suddenly as they could of sworn they had just heard a shrill painful cry of pure agony.

Harry resumed his seat and just watched with a lifeless face as Ron thrashed around, living in true misery, seeing painful scenes of humiliation, rejected love, withheld affection, and stark reminders of how low and pathetic he really was. He could hear and see people, many people, the entire world laughing hard at him. This was all accompanied with a pain shooting through his entire being. He thrashed left and right as he screamed in consuming lunacy, "STOP YOU BASTARDS, STOP LAUGHING AT ME, STOP".

Harry watched for hours before he felt he had enough of the image to forever feed his dark desire for revenge, a dish that tasted so good when served chilled.

He rose and stunned Ron unconscious, binding his hands in shackles and carting him away to the ministry. Once there he processed him and handed over Ron's wand as proof of his guilt in the attempted murder of Harry and Hermione. Harry ordered him to be bound in a straightjacket as it seemed that for some unknown reason Ron's mind had snapped, causing him to suffer a psychotic break. When he was revived for interrogation all he kept yelling was for all around him to stop laughing at him, as he lunged forward, baring his teeth as he tired to bite any that was close, foam now pouring from his mouth.

Ron was convicted with Harry's testimony and received a life sentence in Azkaban's mental ward. Forever confined to a small padded cell. Molly and Arthur were both heartbroken but they knew it was what was best for their now severally mentally damaged son, being kept away from society was the only way to ensure he didn't attempt to hurt anyone else.

Harry devoted little time to feeling regret over this, he had tried several times to help Ron, who had always spat such generous offers back in his face. So fuck him, Harry thought. He had wasted enough of his life on worrying about that worthless stain. Besides he had more pressing matters to deal with, namely his and Hermione's coming nuptials, and boy was it going to be something.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Harry and Hermione's life was a picture of loves true serene perfection, after Ron's sorry arse and the threat he posed were safely out of the way that is. They happily made their preparations for their coming wedding, but rather than having a huge grandiose affair they both choose to go with a simpler, much more meaningful and beautiful ceremony. This greatly pleased Harry, whom had already did the whole huge family event once and was really not looking forward to a repeat. Hermione as well was overjoyed, it had always been a dream of hers to marry at a sunset paradise setting, which is just what she received.

They choose to marry at one of their favorite vacation spots, the island of St. Croix in the Caribbean. They were joined on the tranquil isle by their best friends, Neville, with Hannah Abbot on his arm, Luna, accompanied by Draco, begrudgingly but still willing to make Luna happy, and George with his now fiancé Alicia Spinnet. Hermione's parents Richard and Brenda Granger, both overjoyed that their only child was finally truly happy. Kingsley attended as well and was pleased when the happy couple had asked him of perform the ceremony, a task he whole heartedly accepted.

They had invited both Molly and Arthur to attend but they made an excuse , informing them they couldn't attend. Harry suspected that their hesitance had to do with all that had happened with Ron. They had seemed to be distant from him since it happened. For this Harry felt the pangs of regret, but there was nothing he could do to remedy it. He knew the love a parent had for their children was a truly perfect, unconditional love, and being so that they couldn't just turn their backs on their son no matter what he'd done. Though they'd never dream of saying such out loud Harry felt as if they blamed him somewhat. Its seems they felt that if Harry hadn't taken Hermione from their son he'd never have suffered the mental break down he had. They were to blinded to see that Harry hadn't really taken Hermione, but the fact of the matter was that Ron lost her. With his arrogance, his greed, his selfish and self centered nature, mixed with his drinking had cost him the affections of the world's most incredible witch. And that was on Ron alone, so Harry did not feel guilty because of it. He was saddened that these events really cost him his relationship with Molly and Arthur, but if that was the case than so be it.

Harry walked to his appointed spot on the soft sand and awaited his bride. It was sunset and the suns peaceful rays washed over the entire scene, bathing it in a truly wondrous glow of soft orange light. The sand was perfectly white and felt like velvet clouds under Harry's bare feet. He was dressed in a simple pure white suit. He wore no tie and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. His wild locks of unruly black hair hung carelessly down his face. He stood before Kingsley, who smiled warmly at his friend as he clasped his shoulder.

It was time, Harry breath was sucked from his soul as he absorbed the scene that was now before him. Hermione was walking barefooted on her fathers arm and the sight made Harry feel as if he had never really seen her until this moment.

She was beyond beautiful, she looked so that it was hard to believe a sight that held such perfection was truly of this world. She was wearing a long flowing white gown. The fabric could be seen blowing gently in the warm Caribbean breeze. She had let her hair lay softly around her face, and it was adorned with wild flowers . Her face was pale, and shone brilliantly in the afternoon sun, as the suns dying rays tenderly kissed each line, each contour. Her dark chocolate eyes were washed in the splendor of the scene, and they held such a look of perfect love that Harry felt his heart slam mercilessly against his ribs. He thought he had an idea of what beauty was, what the word meant, but he had to admit to himself that he didn't have a clue to the words meaning before this moment. This was true beauty, and theirs was true love.

Hermione let the light that filled her shine through as she reached her soon to be husband. She smiled deeply as her father gave Harry her hand. And as she slipped it gently into his they could feel the electricity in the air pass through them.

Harry reached up and gently brushed a stray strain of her immaculate locks out of her face so he could fully take it into himself. Take it in a forever store the image deep in the recesses of his mind. A sacred place deep inside, from which he could always draw from in times of pain or doubt. As long as he held this perfect moment in there than he could always bring himself back to this moment and know his life was complete.

Kingsley steeped forward and began speaking, a heartfelt speech of the power behind love. They never broke their gaze from the other as he went through the complexities of the human heart. His words only slightly registering, for them all that was real was the other, and their love.

As Kingsley asked them if the accept the other as their true mates for the remainder of their lives they both affirmed this with the softly whispered words, "I Do." After they had spoken these words, forever binding themselves to the other they reached for each other and they could feel the weight that the other had carried over the pains of the insanity they had been force to endure in their lives leave the other.

As their lips meet the power of the kiss was so that they felt in would forever sustain their souls need to feel that love. They knew that what they both put into the kiss would forever carry them through the misery and pain of the world. And as long as they could bring themselves back to it then they would know what it was like to be both mortal, and alive and yet touch a piece of heaven's face.

The gathered cheered whole heartily, well most did, Malfoy was wondering how much longer it would be, he was looking forward to sneaking off to a secluded place on the island so he and Luna could use the setting to share a piece of their love.

They were then announced by Kingsley as man and wife and they felt as if their lives were now complete. They spent another week on the island, enjoying the other while expressing their love in very passionate ways. They were so blissful that they world's darkness seemed wholly out of the plains of reality. But it wasn't.

As they prepared to depart for home a terrible message was relied to them. They were packing up their private bungalow when a silvery Lynx, which Harry immediately recognized to be Kingsley's patronus glided gracefully into the room. They wondered what could be so important that he'd interrupt their honeymoon. A piece of Harry plunged his soul into that dark place that had beat that muggle to death as they heard they patronus speak in a somber tone.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I thought you should know that your friend Luna Lovegood-Malfoy was just admitted to St. Mungos, she was attacked by three muggles. The beat her pretty severely, and now its clear that they," the patronuses voice grew slightly shaky now, "that they raped her repeatedly," the patronus finished as it dissolved into nothingness.

Hermione gasped in horror as she brought her hand to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. Harry formed no tears, he could feel nothing except an icy hand twisting his heart cruelly. Something changed in Harry in that moment as he looked over to his wife and saw the pain she felt for this horrible deed. He felt for Luna, whom he did love dearly. Something snapped, his life would never be free of these painful threats as long as vile demons like this were suffered to endure. No one it seemed had what it took to ensure people were free of the menacing threat these miserable wretches represented. The law it seemed was wholly inadequate to deal with the true horrors of the world. Somebody had to do something, and Harry felt in that moment that someone had to be him.

_Author's Note: OK my friends part one is over now, no more fluff and stuff, from here on in the story will become much darker as Harry struggles with what his scarred heart perceives as being true justice. It will follow his journey as he must visit some dark places to achieve th_is _end. So if you don't want to continue from here I will understand but what will follow will be a hard look at what words like vengeance and redemption really mean. I want to thank the many who've followed this story this far, really your reviews have been wonderful and I thank you all for them. Be warned though that from here on in the story will sift, and now focus on much darker themes. So now for part two, Avenging Angels. _


	14. Chapter 14

Part II

Avenging Angels

Harry and Hermione both appeared directly in front of St. Mungos and at once Hermione tore immediately inside to see to her wounded friend. Harry followed in step but stopped just outside of her room. He wanted to give Hermione some time with Luna, he didn't want her to feel overwhelmed by to many visitors after her horrifying ordeal. He peaked inside and saw Luna's pale form marked with deeply purple and black bruises on her face and arms. She sat with a pallid and lifeless face as Hermione embraced her in a lovingly compassionate hug. As Harry gazed at her he knew she would never be the same, the same light and dreamy Luna he remembered from school, who dreamed of mythical creatures and looked at the world with a quiet confidence and abounding enthusiasm was now gone. Her innocence, her beautiful innocence had been forever stolen, and for that the ones who took it would pay.

He caught sight of Kingsley walking up and nodded to him as he approached.

"Harry I'm so sorry my friend, this is unspeakable," Kingsley spoke softly as he patted Harry's shoulder.

"What to we know," Harry said coldly, already resolved in seeing this through.

"Well from the memories we were able to retrieve it was three men, all white, they grabbed her just as she was finishing up some early evening shopping and they knocked her unconscious from behind. They drug her to an abandoned building where they forced themselves on her repeatedly, two of your best men are right now at the building and we're waiting to hear from them," Kingsley said, causing Harry to nod his understanding.

"Where's the building," Harry asked, knowing he would need to find out all he could on these monsters if he was to see this through.

"Its in Chelsea, on the King's road," Kingsley replied.

Harry nodded and turned to leave, tearing up the hall. He was almost at the end when he heard a loud voice cry from his back, "Oi, Potter wait."

He turned to see Luna's pale and pointed face husband Draco Malfoy rushing quickly to catch up with him, "I heard what you just asked the minister, but I want to know what your going to do if you find these sons of bitches," Draco asked in a deadly anger.

"No you don't Malfoy, besides these are your sort that did this to her, you see now what being like this is really all about, all those years you and your family supported Voldemort while he and his cronies did this sort of thing to countless others, but that didn't matter to you, as long it didn't affect you personally you couldn't give a shit, and now you want to hold some kind of righteous anger, I don't think so Malfoy," Harry shot back as he turned to leave again.

Malfoy caught his arm and roughly forced Harry to face him again, but rather than find the anger he had expected he found pain and truly deep regret, "I know Potter, believe me I do, it wasn't until I meet Luna and found such tender gentleness in her soul that I began to see the lighter side of life. Believe me she's changed who I truly am, I am no longer my father's son, I want to see the world a better place I really do but it never will be as long as this evil is allowed to endure. She was so gentle and sweet, and those, those" Draco tried to get out but found the words tighten in his throat as a single tear rolled down his pale cheek, "Those fuckers took that from her, and for that I want to make them suffer, and so I ask you again what are your intentions once you find these bastards."

"Well you don't have to worry, I can promise they'll never do this to anyone else," Harry said with a fiery tone that made Draco see he was speaking the truth.

"That's all I needed to know, I'm coming with you," Draco said firmly.

"The hell you are," Harry shot back.

"Look you need help, you can't use an of the other Aurors for this, they wont understand, not like you and I will, they don't know the kind of pain you and I have lived through," Draco said.

"I don't need your help Malfoy," Harry said in an icy tone.

"Please Harry," Draco began, for the first time in his life using Harry's first name, the gesture not lost on Harry, "And your wrong you can use my help, believe me I am very skilled in many spells you've probably never heard of, being a former deatheater does have its advantages, I can recreate scenes, it will help you know more about the ones who did this, Please Harry I need this, if I didn't have to work late I would have been there with her and she wouldn't have.." he began but his voice trailed off, the painful regret he felt for not being able to protect Luna was evident.

Harry took in a heavy breath as he thought about it, he knew the pain Malfoy was feeling, and it would help to have the help of someone who knew what that pain felt like, "Fine, lets go,' Harry said as he turned, Draco hot on his heels.

Once outside they both turned and disappeared. They reappeared a moment later in front of a worn looking very decrepit structure. Harry saw Vance Wilson one of the departments best Aurors standing in front.

Harry walked up to him," What have you got," Harry said with authority.

"Not much captain, Stevens is just wrapping up inside but the muggles didn't give us much to go on," Wilson said sounding disheartened.

Harry nodded, "You and Stevens can report back, I'll take it from here," Harry ordered.

Wilson nodded his understanding while eyeing Malfoy suspiciously, Harry noted the expression, "he's with me, I asked him to consult," Wilson didn't look fully convinced but when he caught Harry's stern gaze he removed doubt from his face. After he collected Stevens from inside they both apparated away.

Harry then turned to Draco and silently motioned for him to follow him inside. Once there they looked at the wide expanse of the crumbling structure. It looked to once have been a warehouse of some kind and held a heavily acidic aroma. Harry moved around the wide area for a few moments, scanning the contents and finding it much as his men had, the assailants seemed to have left no trace, which to Harry meant this wasn't the first time they had done this. The thought made his anger deepen to even further measure. Draco as well had been stewing as he watched Harry exam the room, once he was finished he looked over to Draco who at once drew his wand and waved it in wide circles around the room.

Harry took a step back as a scene began to form from a smoky haze. They both watched as thy saw three men pulling the struggling Luna inside and throwing her cruelly on the ground. Harry watched in revulsion as they tore at her dress and one forced his hand between her legs. They watched as Luna cried in fear and dire pain as they tore away her underwear and the tallest of the three lowered himself on top of her and forced his way roughly inside her, they heard Luna scream and cry in pain, pleading with them to stop. Harry couldn't take anymore, "That's enough, back it up to where they came in," he ordered, disgust alive in his voice.

Draco obliged, not wanting to see anymore himself. He backed up the image to just as they entered.

"Stop," Harry called, causing Draco to pause the scene. Harry walked over to the still forms of the three rapists. He looked deeply into their faces, memorizing each line, each feature. The tallest stood 6 feet two inches tall. He had a shaved head and wore a skull dangling on a chain from his left ear. His right hand was tattooed heavily with bright red flames. Harry noted his shirt, he could see a pack of cigarettes inside them.

"Move forward, go to were this ones leaning over," Harry said indicating to the seeming leader of this monstrous crew.

Draco complied and let the image move forward until the shaved headed villain was bending over.

"Stop," Harry cried, to which Draco obeyed.

Harry examined the pack of cigarettes closely and he could see a pack of matches held firmly in the cellophane. Harry could read what was on it, they read, "Fivers Pub." Harry stood up and looked at Draco, "That's enough, I have a lead."

Draco nodded and flourished his wand, letting the scene disappear into the nothingness from whence it came. They turned and left the dilapidated warehouse in haste.

They both stood silently and unseen outside the Fivers Pub, clearly from the look it was a seedy place full of lowlifes. They had been standing here under disillusionment charms, after a quick scan of a telephone directory to learn of the pubs whereabouts, waiting for the three dogs to appear. They knew them to be inside. They found them sitting with wide grins, laughing stupidly to themselves when they first arrived, but Harry kept a measured approach. He had to restrain Draco, making him see their were too many witnesses. So they would wait.

They waited for another two hours until the three emerged, stumbling out of the bar. They followed them up the street unseen. Once they were far enough away, and confident they wouldn't be seen in the shadows of the night Harry and Draco both drew their wands and stunned the trio from behind. Once they were unconscious they rushed to their fallen forms and quickly pulled them up and apparated away with them in tow.

The tall shaved tattooed wretch with the shaved head shook his head groggily as he tried to focus his eyes. At once he felt rough hands force his head back and force a painfully burning liquid down his throat. Once it was down his eyes and mind cleared at once. He shook his head violently as he could now gauge his surroundings clearly. He was tied to a chair in the same warehouse they had brought the small blonde girl. He looked around, his mates were tied to chairs as well, they were gagged though. He looked directly in front of him as two figures emerged clearly from the shadows a frighteningly dangerous look alive in their eyes.

"Wakey, wakey," Harry said lightly, and a little madly, "Wouldn't want you sleeping through this," he said.

"What the fuck are you tossers on about, let us go, well have you for this," Shaved head demanded in a shaky voice.

"Well you now, well were both terrified," Draco chimed in now, wanting so much to give this animal a taste of the crucitus, but agreeing in the end with Harry that they couldn't use magic in this, it would give them away if their bodied were found.

"Look ok, I don't know what this is about but whatever it is you got the wrong blokes," Shaved head said now letting his fear take him, his comrades both violently nodding their heads in agreement.

"Really, the wrong blokes, so it wasn't you lot that beat and raped my wife right here in this room," Draco said in deadly anger, his eyes lit with a consuming fire, "Don't even try to deny it, it will only be worse for you."

"Look we didn't mean it aright, just letting off some steam, know what I mean, we're sorry mate, really we are," shaved head said, horror awash in his eyes.

'Your sorry," Harry said coldly, "And that's supposed to make up for it, Draco why not show our new friend here how we let off steam."

Draco advanced on the struggling man, drawing a long curved knife from his robes. Once he stood before him he could no longer stomach the mans insincere pleas for forgiveness. He forced his mouth open and took his tongue and held it firmly between his fingers. Draco slipped the knife inside and harshly sliced the waging piece of flesh at the base, severing in completely from his head. The man violently thrust forwards as blood began to pour profusely from his mouth. He cried in pain as Draco held his tongue before his eyes for him to see.

Draco then decided to what he wanted to since he first arrived with these sad wretches. He reached between the mans legs and cut his dirty jeans away and once it was exposed he took the mans penis firmly in his hand and held it firm while he lowered the blade and in a furious motion he sliced it off at the base. Once severed he held it to the now crying man, he wiggled it before his eyes as he spoke, "This is what you used to take my loves sweet innocence, fitting that I now use it to end your miserable life,'" Draco screamed as he forced the lifeless piece of meat down the mans throat, forcing it deep, deep down. Draco then covered the mans mouth roughly with his hand and forced the bastard to choke on his own member. The man struggled violently as he saw death coming to claim his sorry excuse for a life. His eyes lit wildly with fear and panic as Draco looked coldly into his eyes, watching as he struggled less and less and finally stopped. Draco watched as the fires of life were extinguished in the monsters eyes and he breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction.

Harry walked up and placed a firm hand on Draco's shoulder, his heavy breathing calming somewhat now. Harry held out his hand and Draco handed him the blade. Harry walked over to the still gagged and struggling men and one at a time slit their throats, letting the spray of blood wash over him as the feeling gave birth to a dark lust in the bowels of Harry's soul. All of the anger and rage he felt at the worlds evil escaped him through the blades tip.

After they were dispatched Harry looked over to Draco. He was caught off guard be what Draco said next.

"Well it's a good start, but its not enough," Draco said, looking back to the lifeless forms of the three men they had just murdered in cold blood.

Harry looked into his eyes and saw his deadly determination, "Are you saying what I think you are," Harry asked in a deadly serious tone.

"I am, I've lived in the presence of evil for to long we both have, we've seen what havoc it reeks on the world, I don't know about you but I for one am tired of it, our so called laws and order do nothing to protect the innocent from evil cretins like this, someone has to, we need to come together Harry, you and I, we need to make the world of darkness fear us like none before. Muggle, wizard, it doesn't matter, wherever evil strives to harm the innocent we need to be there to snuff it out. Are you with me," Draco said extending his hand.

"I need to be sure first, make the vow with me," Harry answered to which Draco nodded.

Harry stepped forward and clasped hands with Draco, Harry then flourished his wand and hot red roped emerged and snaked their way around Harry' and Draco's joined hands.

"Do you swear that you will see this pursuit all the way to the end with me," Harry asked.

"I Do, do you?"

"I do," Harry answered, "Do you vow to only stop once death clams you?"

"I do, and do you?"

"I do, do you swear never to share the secrets of this pact with anyone?"

"I do, and you?"

'I do," Harry said, and as he did the ropes bound their hands tightly together, as sparks sprung forth and washed over them both, illuminating the others eyes, and in them they both read the others determination to see this through to the very end.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 2

Harry stood behind a large tree, silent and unseen on this large picturesque farm here in upstate New York. He eyed his target, a large rustic barn, which he knew now housed a gathering of the top organized crime figures in the United States. He had learned this from a capo he and Draco had recently dealt with, it was a meeting unrivaled in living memory, and Harry had little doubt what the main topic of discussion was, he and Draco. The Avenging Angels. It had been two years since he and Draco had first come together to reek havoc on the worlds evil, and believe me they have been quite busy.

They had decided after their first job that they needed people to know that these weren't random attacks, I mean how are they to instill fear into the hearts of these vile demons if they didn't know of them. So they adopted the guise of the Avenging Angels. They sent a letter to all news agencies all over the world, telling the world's evil doers that from here on in to constantly live in fear, because one day the icy hands of death would move through them to end their miserable lives.

For this the world's best law enforcement agencies, the F.B.I, C.I.A, Scotland Yard, Interpol, MI-6, had all set up task forces to hunt down the vigilantes, but to no avail, Harry and Draco were very good at what they did, and thanks to magic, they never left any evidence. They were always careful with magic, not wanting to draw the attention of magical law enforcement agencies, so they choose to handle most in muggle ways, using magic only when they had to.

Harry once again eyed the structure, looking at his watch, irritated at Draco's tardiness. He was dressed all in black, with special body armor, a certain Kevlar that had been magically reinforced to withstand all muggle weapons, hell it could even stop a sabo round fired from an Abrams tank. Harry let his fingers run over the cold steel of his Heckler and Koch HK416, a high powered semi automatic muggle assault rifle. He turned as he heard a faint pop at his back. He relaxed when he saw Draco emerge from the shadows, dress exactly the same, also carrying an HK416.

"Your late," Harry said in a quiet tone.

"I know mate, sorry, I had to see Luna to her victims support group, she's still having problems appartaing on her own," Draco said in a downcast voice.

Harry nodded, "How's that going for her, is it helping," Harry asked, truly concerned.

"A bit yeah, it's still slow going, she still has nightmares about it, and she still jumps slightly when I reach for her hand. But she seems to be improving, thanks larger to your wife. Hermione's really been a great help, you're very lucky to have someone like her," Draco said clasping Harry's shoulder.

"Believe me mate I know, it's just hard to have to keep secrets like this from her," Harry said.

"Tell me about it, I hate feeling like I'm lying to Luna but it's for the best, so are they in there," Draco asked, motioning to the barn.

"Yeah, this is going to be a great coup for us, the top echelon of the five mafia families that control this countries drug trade are in there, total 36, are you ready," Harry said, slamming his rifles cocking mechanism hard.

"Ready, lets do it," Draco answered, mirroring Harry's motion.

The gathered assortment of top underworld figures sat around a large circular table, all having animated discussions about their most pressing issues. Suddenly a very fat Italian, dressed in an Armani suit slammed his fist hard on the table as he removed his large Cuban cigar from his mouth, "Dam it this is getting us nowhere, we have to find these bastards, I've lost nearly half of my men in the last year, is this keeps up I will be put out of business," he snarled.

"Believe us Don Carlo we all know how you feel," a tall lean figure with sharp features and dark graying hair called from the other side of the table, "We've all lost our best earners, but what do you propose we do about it. I've hired the best assassins, and bounty hunters in the business but all that returned was their severed heads. We know nothing about these angels, how do you fight that, it's like trying to fight smoke. I mean how the hell do they know so much about our operations, they know things that the government doesn't even know. Their always one step ahead. Last month I had a shipment of high quality H coming in to a private port in the Florida Keys, and once the boat was in sight it exploded. And the men I had waiting were cut to pieces. I lost nearly one hundred mil on that deal. We are going extinct my friends, and the sad fact about that is that we don't have any solutions."

They all murmured their agreement. Then suddenly they heard a sound and they all jumped, as they and they bodyguards pulled pistols from their shoulder holsters. They calmed somewhat as they saw one of the farm cats jump from the hay loft. They all smiled and laughed nervously.

Then the doors to the barn exploded of the hinges as two terrifying figures emerged like fiery death from the smoke, "Hello boys, fancy meeting you here, looking into a quiet retirement growing corn, sorry to ruin your plans," Harry said in a mocking tone.

All the gangsters pulled their weapons as Harry and Draco let loose in full automatic weapon fire. They sprayed bullets throughout the whole of the barn. At once men started to fall, their bodies riddled with bullets. The fire from the heavy assault weapons tore into their flesh mercilessly, sending blood spraying fully in the night. Large hunks of flesh were torn from their chest as the armor piercing rounds made mince meat of the wretch's bullet proof vests. Harry and Draco went in wide circles around the barn, picking off targets. Harry hollowed out the skull of the enormously fat Don Carlo, smiling in violent glee as he did, mostly because he reminded him of his uncle.

Draco made his way to the door to block the seven or so remaining from fleeing, his armor deflecting the shots fired at him in response. He cut them in half with his high powered rifle, sending their bloody already decaying corpses crashing to the floor. It lasted all of five minutes then the room was silent. They looked around and did a count just to make sure they got them all. Harry noted the number silently in his head, yep 36 all accounted for. The scene was truly horrific, blood, body parts and hollowed out corpses everywhere. The floor was saturated in it, give off the strong smell of death and gunpowder.

Harry and Draco steadied their breathing as Harry reached into his pocket and withdrew a single white card with their insignia embroidered deep on it in gold letters. A.A.

Harry walked over and placed the card on the fallen form of Don Carlo, then rose and walked out of the scene of utter carnage with Draco. Once outside they looked at each other, it was Harry who spoke first.

"Nice grouping of the shots, you sprayed them right down middle, you've come a long way since joining the department," Harry said, speaking of the fact that shortly after their pact Draco joined the Auror department, becoming Harry's partner at his request, so they could not only work their cases but could also work on their other pursuits.

"Thanks mate, I'll admit I never thought I'd ever get used to these muggle weapons, but as far as weapons go these aren't so bad, their highly effective in pursuing our ends, well fancy a nightcap," he asked.

"I don't know, it's already kind of late, I really should get back to Hermione," Harry hesitantly answered, but caught a sort of pleading look from Draco, "Well have you already got one picked out," Harry asked.

"Yeah, went on the registry this afternoon and I found one that doesn't live to far, and believe me this one your going to love dealing with," Draco answered.

"Oh yeah, what's his story," Harry asked, intrigued now, knowing Draco was speaking of America's national sex offenders registry. Damn, Harry thought, Draco sure knew how to suck Harry in, knowing he loved to end the lives of miserable pedophiles.

"Convicted for five counts of forcible sexual assault on a minor under the age of twelve, and get this last year he got out on parole after serving 8 years on a fifteen year term, and he was found no more than two months later with the body of an raped and sodomized 8 year old girl in the trunk of his car, wasn't convicted, the prosecuting barrister bungled the case, got off on a technicality, so what do you say, are you up for it," Draco asked in an almost glee filled voice.

"Lead the way mate," Harry said extending his arm, letting Draco take his elbow, once he had it firm Draco apparted them to a small house in a rural setting.

Once there they waved there wands, letting their weapons vanish, sending them back to their private storage container back in Britain, they also changed their appearance, dressed now in causal clothes, so as not to immediately frighten their nights quarry. They walked up the kitchen door and opened the torn and rusty screen and knocked firmly on the door.

A few minutes later a tall thin middle aged man with somewhat thinning brown hair answered, he looked wearily at the strangers.

"Can I help you," he asked in mock politeness.

"Yes, are you Silas Warner," Draco asked brightly.

"Who wants to know," the man asked suspiciously.

"Well we're from A and A incorporated and we just wanted to inform Mr. Warner that he's won a trip," Harry chimed in now.

This peaked the man's curiosity, "I'm Warner, you say I've won a trip, to where," he asked.

"To Hell," Harry answered as he pointed his wand and stunned Warner unconscious.

Warner opened his eyes and looked around, he felt his hands tied tightly behind him, he couldn't move. He looked at what appeared to be a stone dungeon of some kind, it was cold and dank, he could hear the eerie sounds of water dripping. He was under a bright light but he couldn't make out the source, he was encircled in the light and he couldn't make out what was in the shadows beyond it but he could hear shuffling, then a cold voice said, "Look Draco our guest is awake, how rude of us, lets give him a proper welcome," Harry said in an icy tone.

"What the hell is this about, let me go," Warner screamed in fear.

"Go you want to go, don't worry you'll be going soon enough, to a painful end that is," Draco answered as he and Harry moved into the light, flanking Warner.

"Why," Warner cried, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Why," Harry said seething in anger, stepping forward and looking Warner dead in the eyes, "Maybe because you like to harm the most innocent in the world with your evil heinous deeds, you may have escaped judgment in this country's courts but you still have to answer for that dead child you miserable fuck."

"Please, I couldn't help it, please don't hurt me I'll do anything," Warner pleaded in a truly pathetic voice.

"You couldn't help it, that's a good one, I wonder did she plead, as you were stealing all inside her that made her pure and innocent, did she plead as you did those unspeakable acts to her, did she cry and beg for her life, she did didn't she you sick bastard, did you listen, did you feel mercy for her sweet life, no you murdered her after you were through with her, and now you ask for that same mercy, I don't think so. You said you'd do anything, well there is something you can do," Harry said in cold fury, letting Warner see the fire in his eyes.

"What," cried Warner, "Please I'll do anything."

"You can bring that child back to life and make her whole again, go ahead, wave a magic wand and make it happen, look I've got one here," Harry said holding his wand up to the light, "Here wave it and bring her back," Harry said tossing his wand in Warner's lap, seeing fear and utter panic begin to set into the perverted wretches eyes.

Warner made no answer, he simply cried and as tears ran down his rough cheeks as a loud steaming hissing could be heard coming from the shadows.

"Looks like the kettles ready, I'll just get it shall I," Draco said in a lightly casual tone.

Harry just eyed the man as he drew his favorite tool, his long ornate dagger. Harry then picked up his wand from Warner's lap and touched the tip of it to the blades end, causing it to glow white hot. As Draco emerged carrying the steaming kettle of boiling liquid Harry forced Warner's head roughly back and one at a time took the knife and plucked each of Warner's eyes out of their sockets. Warner's screams broke through the room like a symphony to Harry and Draco's ears. Harry discarded the mans eyes and moved aside so Draco could pour the boiling oil in Warner's empty eye sockets.

His piercing cries were truly horrific as the oil filled the cavities, he thrashed around violently and screamed in true pain and misery. Harry felt no remorse for this, no mercy for the man's heartfelt pleas or cries of dire pain, he felt that punishment should fit the crime and here he surely felt it did.

After Draco poured the whole of the kettles contents into Warner's sockets he stepped back and let the wretch feel the pain, "That's it you animal, feel the pain you've brought onto others repaid, feel it and know worse still is waiting you in the next life," Draco said also feeling no mercy in his stone heart.

Warner thrashed wildly and cried in agony for a while longer before Harry had enough and stepped forward and plunged the blade into the man's stomach, letting his entrails spill out. It took a few minutes but finally the cries of pain stopped and Warner quit moving.

Harry and Draco looked at each other and they smiled a sort of twisted smile, feeling they had put in a fair nights work.

"Well I know you want to get back to Hermione so go ahead, I'll handle the body," Draco said.

"You sure, I don't mind helping," Harry answered.

"No it's fine, Luna won't be home for at least another hour, so go ahead," Draco insisted.

"OK, make it dramatic, hang him from a tree by his twig and berries, let his intestines fall out and dangle from his stomach, let those other sick fucks out there know what they have coming to them, let them know they may escape others but they wont escape us, don't forget to put the card in his mouth," Harry said in a predestine business like manor, as if he were discussing office reports.

Draco nodded, "You got it, so what do you say, wanna hit the L.A. street gangs on Friday or Saturday," Draco asked casually.

"Um let's say Friday, after work, good work tonight man, really well done," Harry said patting his partner on the shoulder.

"You to mate well see you at work tomorrow," Draco said.

"Tomorrow then mate, have a goodnight, and give Luna my love, don't forget dinner at my place on Sunday, come over early and we can watch the game, the niners got the Seahawks this weekend, it should be a hell of a game," Harry said brightly.

"You got it mate," Draco answered, finding that since Harry had introduced him to it he too had become quite taken with American football.

Harry smiled and walked out of the room in the small house he had bought in the English countryside, a place he kept so he and Draco could do their work in peace. Once outside the basement he stripped off his bloody clothes and put them in a pile, once there he pointed his wand at them and they incinerated into naught but ash. He than went into the empty living room and collected what he had been wearing that day, which he left there in a pile on the floor when he came to prepare for the nights activities. He pulled them on and once was sure he had no blood, gore, nor any trace of the violence he and Draco had been a part of that evening on him at all he turned and apparted back home.

Once outside his and Hermione's home a calming peace washed over him as he walked up the porch steps and made his way in through the front door. It was early evening and he could her his wife quietly humming to herself as she finished preparing the meal she had been working on, being her night to cook, Harry always scheduled it so she cooked the nights he was 'busy', her content to think he and Draco were working difficult cases at the ministry.

She smiled as he stepped through the kitchen door. The smell took him, it was wonderful, his favorite, roasted chicken with string beans and creamed potatoes. He was grateful for it, he had worked up quite an appetite. He walked over the Hermione and wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tenderly loving kiss. He put a good deal of enthusiasm behind the kiss, causing her cheeks to flush red hot. After he broke away she beamed at him, "Well it looks like someone had a good day," she said warmly to her smiling husband.

"It was at that my love, it was at that" Harry answered, pulling her in for another soulful kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 3

Draco walked with Luna close by his side up the drive to his family's rich and lavish manor. He had accepted his mother's invitation for Sunday brunch and was pleased that his father had insisted on being there. He was pleased but not overjoyed or greatly excited, he knew his father very well. And if he was right he knew his father had an ulterior motive for wanting to spent time with him and Luna. He pondered this as they walked up the steps and made their way inside. Once in they found his mother waiting for them in the parlor. She smiled warmly as she reached out to embrace her son, and his wife, whom she had warmed to in recent years. Truly feeling for the girl's tragic encounter. Also wanting to keep a good relationship with her only son, and now seeing the only way to make that a reality was to fully accept his choice of bride. Once she had she had to admit Luna was a better wife then either she or Lucius thought she would be. Luna really seemed to make their son truly happy, and if nothing else this was enough for Narcissa.

"Draco, Luna, I'm so happy your both here, you don't come to visit as often as you should," Narcissa added with a sharp look to Draco as she broke the embrace.

"Sorry mother, I've just been really busy lately," Draco answered truthfully.

"Well they work you too hard at the ministry if you ask me, but it doesn't seem to have effected you negatively, quite the contrary you look more strapping than I've ever seen you," Narcissa replied, noting how her son has seemed to put on at least thirty pounds of lean muscle, mostly in the chest and arms.

"Yeah, constant training and conditioning," Draco said dismissively with a wave of the hand.

"And Luna dear, you are looking so well, your skin seems to be even more radiant than the last time I saw you," Narcissa added smiling at her daughter in law.

"Thank you Mrs. Malfoy, I tend to think my skins shimmer to have faded somewhat," Luna replied looking down, Draco looking with gentle compassion for his wife's opinion of herself, which since the attack had dropped. Draco was so frustrated that of all things those bastards had taken from her that her self confidence was amongst them. Now whenever Luna looked at herself she couldn't see what Draco did, she couldn't see what she once did. Now all she saw was pain, and regret, and fear, and that made her see herself as ugly, unworthy of a man like Draco. She felt damaged, broken and for this Draco hated the evil that bred this all the more, and took it out considerably with the angels.

"Luna I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me in the kitchen, Draco your fathers in his study, he'd like to speak to you before brunch," Narcissa said, leading Luna to the kitchen, leaving Draco to see about his father.

Draco made his way to the door of his fathers study and knocked firmly on it, "Come," he heard his father call from within. He opened the door and walked gingerly inside, closing the door behind him.

"Mother said you wanted to see me," Draco said casually.

"Yes son, please take a seat," Lucius answered, rising and indicating Draco to take one of the plush chairs that stood in front of the desk.

Once Draco was seated his father began, "Well how are things going at work," Lucius started, causing Draco to grit his teeth, he had a feeling this was where he was going to go with this little chat. Ever since Draco's sift in attitude he had been adamant about no longer supporting his father's bids for power. His father was livid when Draco choose to leave the department of international magical cooperation to partner with Harry at the Auror department, and the close friendship he seemed to have garnered with what Lucius perceived as their family's greatest enemy was enough to force Lucius to stop speaking to his son for a full year. But then Lucius realized that his son is his only chance to extend himself and his views into the future, Draco was his only legacy and he only hoped that with some time Draco would cool from his desire to be an Auror and return to the political realm of the ministry. It was for that very reason that Lucius wanted to speak to Draco and Draco knew it.

"Things at work are great father, never better," Draco answered with thinly veiled hostility.

"That's good son, very good, I'll have to admit that I've never been a fan of your moving to the Auror's department but I must say you've been getting quite a good reputation at the ministry, it seems your making quite a name for yourself," Lucius said smiling.

"Well I just do my job, and that's enough for me, the rest is for others to decide," Draco answered, knowing full well where his father was going with this.

"Yes well you should focus on your work but that doesn't mean you can't grease a few elbows along the way, you know chat up the right people, make a few well connected friends," Lucius said with a certain repressed enthusiasm.

"And why would I want to do that," Draco asked plainly, not hiding the fact that he had no interest in whatever plans his father seemed to have for him.

"Oh Draco be reasonable, I mean you can't want to be an Auror your whole life, and it's a good place to start, you know in two maybe three years with enough elbow rubbing you could be head of the department and you wouldn't have to answer to that damned Potter, and after who knows, I mean that's where Scrimgeour rose from to become minister, and quite frankly you'd be much more suited for that role than either he or Shacklebolt," Lucius said not even attempting to hide the contempt he felt for all mentioned, Harry first amongst them.

Draco simply stared at his father with a calm, lifeless demeanor, "And I ask again why would that interest me. I have no desire to be the Minister of Magic. You said I can't want to be an Auror forever, why not? It's who I am, believe me in this father I am an Auror, and I will do nothing that will ever take me from that calling. What you think I want to be chained to a desk, pushing papers and writing meaningless laws all day? No father, my office is on the streets, and that's where I'll be working for the rest of my life. I am no politician father, my work with my partner is much more important than that, and I'll thank you not to speak ill of him, he may rub you the wrong way, and we may have a history but that's all in the past, he is my best friend and partner now, and like my career that isn't going to change," Draco said with a sort of quiet fire, not yelling but letting his father read his sincerity in his eyes.

Lucius fumed, his sons unchanging attitudes to split with his life goals and philosophy incensing him, "What the hell has happened to you Draco, granted what happened to your wife was tragic but for it to completely change who you are is unconceivable," Lucius vented.

"And what the hell would you know about who I really am, you've never been interested in that, all you've ever cared about is who you've wanted me to be, you've never really taken the time to get to know who I really am, hell I didn't even know for a long time, it wasn't until I meet Luna that something that had been slumbering deep inside me woke, and sprang to life. All you can see in life is how to take all you possibly can from it, to use it for your own selfish ends, well that's not who I am anymore father, I am no longer your robot, your puppet, and the sooner you realize that the better we'll all be for it," Draco said hotly, his ire now rising at his fathers mention of Luna's rape. He got up to storm out but his father called calmly from his seat.

"Wait Draco, I didn't want to have to do this but you leave me no choice, you are my son and what you do reflects on me and our family's name, so you are going to do what I ask of you and your going to do it just as instruct you to," Lucius said in a cold tone.

Draco turned and laughed a truly heartfelt laugh, "And what makes you think I'll do that," Draco demanded.

"This," Lucius said holding up a small white rectangular item that Draco immediately noted, he knew what it was and the sight sent a chill running generously up and down his spine.

"What's that," Draco asked in an icy tone, motioning to his and Harry's calling card.

"Let's drop the act Draco, I know, I know what you and Potter have been up to, what you think I don't keep track of my son's actives. I followed you the other day and to my surprise you went to a storage container on the outskirts of London, it wasn't to hard considering the tracking charm I placed on you. Once you left I worked my way through the wards you and Potter had set up, you forget who was it that taught you such magic. Imagine my surprise when I found what looked to be a muggle weapons cache, full of rifles, explosives, and all sorts of diabolical implements to inflict pain. Along with hundreds if not thousands of these little cards, interesting insigne, A.A. The mad antics of the famed Avenging Angels have made it even to most wizarding ears. Of course many here paying it little mind, thinking them just crazed muggle vigilantes, who'd have guessed their actually wizards. It would explain the inexpiable disappearances of some of my oldest friends in certain darker arenas of power. Off course the angels can't claim credit for the deaths of underworld figures in the wizarding world, than all here would know it they were wizards and I wouldn't be long before you were found out. Very clever my son I must admit, but your secrets been uncovered and if you want it to remain a secret your attitudes about my and our family's priorities will fall back in line. You will aspire to become minister, and once there you will run things the way I tell you to, is that understood," Lucius now ordered in a deadly serious tone.

"You would expose your own son knowing what would happen if you did," Draco asked in a deadly tone, staring his father square in the eyes.

"I would," Lucius answered in a tone that equaled his sons. They just stayed like that for a moment, locked in the others eyes.

Draco knew then that he had a big problem, he needed time to think it through, knowing he was safe at the moment, knowing his fathers gift for keeping secrets, and this one he'd keep very close. So Draco knew his father hadn't told anyone as of yet. Draco had to play along for the time being, so he dropped the anger from his eyes and adopted a look of surrender. He took a deep breath as he said, "Very well father, you win, I'll do as you say," Draco lied.

His fathers face spilt into a wickedly malicious smile, "Wonderful my son, you will see in time that this is for the best, now lets go and enjoy a pleasant meal," Lucius said clasping his sons shoulder firmly, leading Draco out of the room with his arm around his shoulder, smiling and laughing as they went.

Harry was seated on his large and plush sofa in his living room waiting for Draco and Luna to arrive for their planned dinner party. He flicked through the channels waiting for the game to start when he stopped, coming across a cable news channel that had a picture of his and Draco's card displayed on the screen, Hermione just entering the room as the female anchor began to speak.

"_Another reported attack from the ruthless vigilante group known as the Avenging Angels. The bodies of 54 Mexican nationals have been discovered just outside of Tijuana, Mexico. Reports confirm the men all belonging to the El Diablo's, Mexico's largest drug cartel. The El' Diablo's are also known for human trafficking, being held responsible for kidnapping countless young girls in Mexico and then smuggling them into the United States, once there being forced to work as prostitutes. The bodies were discovered in what an onsite official describes as a massacre of medieval proportions. The heads of many of the men were completely severed, each then arrayed on posts all along the landscape, each holding the groups infamous card in their mouths. A poll conducted last week shows that 47% of the those asked agree with what the Angels are trying to do while 41% do not, while 12% remain undecided,"_

Harry heard enough and changed the station, he only hoped that the image of the heads being mounted on poles wasn't lost on the world of evil, he hoped it stood as a warning to all the ones he and Draco had yet to encounter.

Hermione huffed slightly as she passed behind Harry, "It seems those insane so called 'angels' have been busy, that's the tenth report they've had about their crazed brutality this month, I swear what's the world coming to," Hermione asked.

Harry just stared ahead stoically, he didn't really want to be drawn into another long debate with her about whether or not the Angels actions were morally right. Since she first heard of them Hermione was adamant that the angels actions were reprehensible, and went against the fabric of civilized society, when Harry asked her how could she believe that after all they've been through, she replied, 'Because Harry, if I believed that I'd be no better than the ones who've done those horrible things to us, and you know that's true, your above that Harry, you know you are'.

This statement gave Harry considerable pause and forced him to pontificate about his choices in recent years, he knew that boy who went into the woods to face Voldemort was still alive someone in him, he just hadn't heard much from him lately.

The one who couldn't bring himself to stun a deatheater for fear of causing him to fall to his death was now content to not only condone such actions but actually do that and much worse to protect the ones he could from ever feeling the scars he and his partner had to carry.

It was then Harry feared what would happen were she to discover this secret, he didn't like to think about it. They couldn't really understand, Harry thought to himself, if the world has taught him one thing is you can't predict what will happen, you just have to accept it as it comes.

The scars, the deep scars Harry had to carry had shaped his insatiable desire to see the world's evil burn away to ash. And like or not this was Harry's lot now and he had to live with it, we all have to live with the decisions we make.

Harry thought about these things when he heard a firm rasp at his door. He rose to answer it and opened the door to find Draco and Luna both standing arm in arm smiling, both wearing a slightly somber demeanor. Harry noted Draco's eyes telling him something was amiss, "Come in," Harry said warmly taken Luna's hand, leading her into the house, taking her and Draco's cloaks as he shut the door.

Hermione emerged from the kitchen and walked quickly forward to embrace her friend in a warm hug, "Oh how are you feeling," she asked Luna brightly.

"Oh I'm feeling quite good today, we just came from brunch at Draco's parents and they actually were nice to me, even his father, who seemed to be in a very bright mode for some reason," Luna answered with a hint of her former dreamy voice, it was still light but didn't linger in the air quite as much anymore, but she did still beam when she smiled, and seeing it made both Harry and Draco's heart warm at the considerably.

"That's wonderful, look I've got some pictures I want to show you and I want your opinion on a few things," Hermione said warmly to her friend, causing Luna to smile and nod as she followed her up the stairs, leaving Harry and Draco alone.

Once they were gone Draco turned to Harry and said in a deadly serious voice, "We've got a problem."

"Does it have anything to do with why your fathers in such a good mode," Harry asked mirthlessly.

"It does, he's found us out. He followed me to the container," Draco said solemnly.

A light lit behind Harry's eyes and a dangerous fear filled his heart, "And just what are his plans for this information," Harry asked in a lifeless tone.

"He's going to try to use it to blackmail me to fall into line as his ministry protégé, wants me to first take over the department and then ascend to Minster, from where he'll use me as his puppet as he pulls the strings that are made with what we've done, so what should we do," Draco asked.

"Do we have a choice," Harry asked icily, catching Draco's eyes, from which he could read the answer.

"Midnight, meet me at the pier, on my families yacht," Draco answered in a low tone. To which Harry nodded with a determined look.

As soon as Luna was lead into Harry and Hermione's room Hermione quickly shut the door behind them, obvious from her demeanor she had something she really wanted to tell Luna.

"What's the big news then you as you seem to be unable to contain yourself," Luna asked with a light smile.

Hermione walked to her dresser and removed a photo which was on the bottom underneath some clothes, it was grainy and hard to make out but as soon as she handed it to Luna she knew what it was.

"Hermione is this," she asked pointing to the picture to which Hermione nodded excitedly, causing Luna to beam, "So your, you and Harry,, wow congratulations Hermione, a baby that's so wonderful, I'm so happy for both of you," Luna said happily throwing her arms around Hermione's shoulders, wrapping her friend in a loving embrace. They both laughed and teared up a bit and began talking excitedly about names, baby showers, nursery plans and all other such things.

"So does Harry know," Luna asked as they sat on the bed.

"Not yet, I'm telling him on our anniversary next week, I just hope he's happy about it," Hermione said a bit nervously. Luna gently placed her hand over Hermione's to steady it and looked with gentle grey orbs full of love as she answered.

"Hermione, of course he's going to be happy, he's going to be thrilled, all he's ever wanted was a family and he loves you so much, he's going to finally have his dream realized and for giving him that he's going to love you all the more," she said speaking her hearts truthfully belief of these affirmations.

Hermione looked up and smiled warmly, her nervousness easing slightly, "Your right thank you Luna, he will be happy, I shouldn't be so worried its just his jobs so dangerous I just worry so much about him sometimes, he seems to keep so much bottled up, I don't know, maybe its just the hormones," she said lightly, breaking into a fit of laughter with her friend, loving to feeling of relief for having told someone.

The rest of the evening past in a scene of warm normality, they shared a lovely dinner and talked about each others lives, and when it was over they wished their friends a goodnight, Harry catching Draco's eyes, a silent affirmation of their later plans passing between them.

After Harry closed the door he turned and smiled warmly at Hermione, "Well what's say we call it a night," Harry said with wildly seductive eyes.

"You read my mind Potter," Hermione answered, her hormones really doing a number on her.

Harry stared at his wall mounted clock fully awake as Hermione slept softly beside him, 11:30, he finally noted as he lightly got up so as not to disturb her, he walked downstairs and put his robes on and walked into the cold dark night. He appeared at his and Draco's base and walked inside, once in he changed into his dark tactical gear and placed the scabbard that housed his dagger firmly at his side and with a deep breath he apparted to the pier.

At the same exact time Draco was standing outside his father's study, he knew him to be inside working late into the night about formulaic plans to see his sons rise to power come about. He knocked lightly on the door, not only not to disturb his mother but to also display a sense of submissiveness.

"Come," He heard his father call.

Draco walked in and his father rose, breaking into a wide smile," Ah my son, what can I do for you, I was just going over some plans to drum up support for you being made head of the Auror department, first you'll have to kiss up to Connors, his voice carries a lot of sway with the ministers top supporters," Lucius said looking around his table for a piece of parchment.

Draco made no response, he took his wand and without word or sound stunned his father unconscious and simply looked down on his fallen form.

Luicus could feel swaying, like the hard surface he was laying on wasn't full supported. He could hear the sounds of water, waves slapping hard against the walls. He opened his eyes and found himself bound on the deck of his lavish yacht. He looked wildly around and focused on a large figure hovering above him, illuminated poorly through nights thick darkness. It was a cloudy evening here in the middle of the sea and Lucius couldn't see the face of the man in the shadows and he began to struggle hard against his bounds as he cried, "Who are you and what have you done with my son," Lucius screamed, remembering that Draco was with him before he was stunned.

Harry looked coldly at him and made no answer, "Answer me damn it where is my son," Lucius cried once again.

"I'm here father," Draco called from behind him causing Lucius to turn his head and gaze at his son looking down on him as he lay helpless.

"Draco, what's going on here untie me, what are your intentions boy," Lucius demanded, trying to sound authoritative but not masking the fear behind the words.

"I am sorry father but you've forced my hands, what Harry and I are doing is to important to risk on the whims of a power hungry fool like you," Draco answered in an icy tone.

"Draco wait, there must be something that can be arranged, maybe I was too hasty, I was bluffing, I would have never turned you in you're my son, you can't do this, you know you can't, I'm your father," Lucius cried in desperation.

"I'm sorry father, I simply cannot trust you, it has to be like this," Draco answered moving to his front.

"Do you want me to do it," Harry offered moving so Draco could knell in front of his father, who was still fighting hard as the boat swayed hard in the wind.

"No, it's my mess, I'll clean it up," Draco said lifelessly as he held up his hand, Harry handing over the dagger now.

Draco looked in his fathers eyes and a slight mist began to form, "I truly am sorry for this, and don't worry, I'll take care of mother," Draco said with just the slightest hint of pain in his voice as he ran the blade hard against his crying fathers throat, opening it fully to let the deluge of blood paint the brown wooden deck black, the sight of blood in nights darkness leaving such a hue.

Lucius gasped and thrashed around wildly as his life poured from the wound, rushing to quickly leave his body. He jerked softer now and stopped kicking and finally he was still. Draco looked down and rose through a deep breath, his hands steady as a rock. His eyes held the scene firm as Harry conjured a large safe to the bodies right on the expansive yachts deck. Harry and Draco both levitated the body and placed it securely in the safe and closed the large steel door and spun the wheel. They then both levitated the safe over the ships side. Draco watched as they released it, causing it to slam into the water with a thunderous crash, bobbing ever so slightly and then quickly claimed by the merciless sea to forever be lost in its seemingly endless depths. Draco looked at the spot the safe hit the water and felt as Harry put a consoling hand on his shoulder, he took a deep inhale as he turned with his partner to steer the boat back to the harbor.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 4**

**Harry walked briskly through the lobby of the ministry of magic, wearing a somber demeanor, having been informed the minister wanted to see him first thing this morning. Harry had little doubt what he wanted to see him about. It had been a little over a month since he and Draco had forever silenced Draco's troublesome father, and when he went missing Draco's mother was hysterical. She demanded the ministry launch a full investigation into the disappearance, for this she prodded some of the leading members of the wizenagmont for support, which they wholeheartedly gave, being made very wealthy from Lucius's 'generosity', also know as bribes. So Harry insisted that he and Draco personally handle the case, which worked out well at first, it gave him and Draco a lot of free time to pursue their other ends. But since they hadn't come up with anything there had been a lot of tongue wagging that maybe they weren't as great at their jobs as everybody seemed to think they were. **

**This really didn't seem to bother Harry to much but he knew if he didn't put an end to this other Auror's would be brought on the case and that would open up a whole new can of worms. So he and Draco had to come up with a way to see this go away for good and all, and he felt as if he had come up with a viable solution. **

**He thought about it as he turned the corner to find Silvia smiling warmly at him as he approached, "Go right in Harry, he's expecting you."**

"**Thank you Silvia," Harry answered as he hurried past her through the door of Kingsley's office. Once inside the Minister looked up and wore a slightly harassed grimace.**

"**Please tell me you have something new for me my friend, Malfoy's damned supporters are literally breathing down my neck at each council session and while I could really care less as to what mess Lucius has found himself in his disappearance has ruffled a lot of feathers," Kingsley said in a stress filled tone.**

"**Well I've got some good news for you then Minister, I got a tip from an informant about a group of Transylvanian Wizards, the ones who escaped me all those years ago, the very same that attacked Draco and his mother in the streets of Hogsmead. It seems they did indeed have unfinished business with Lucius, they were angered by his burning them on a promised prize for services they rendered him and it seems they lured him out of his home under false pretenses and once they had a clear shot they murdered him. I've taken the four into custody, they've all given full confessions under use of veritaserum and are now at Azkaban awaiting trial," Harry said solemnly, speaking in full truth, knowing the reason they had given their confessions was due to the memories he and Draco planted in their minds, making them really believe they had murdered Lucius. Harry felt a pang of regret for this, but more so for having to lie to friends like Kingsley, a life spent in Azkaban was what these villains deserved, Harry knew them to be guilty of not only murder but other heinous crimes, if they weren't in custody they would have already had a visit paid to them from the Angels. **

**Kingsley's face split into a truly wide smile as he felt the stress he was under due to this issue leave his body, "That's great news Harry, really well done, good work, did they reveal the location of the body," Kingsley asked.**

"**Sadly it seems they incinerated it completely, leaving no trace of it behind, so I guess their just going to have go with a memorial service," Harry said in a somber tone.**

"**Well that is a blow to many, your partner as well, how is he handling the news of his father's death," Kingsley asked.**

"**He's managing, obviously he's torn up about it but he's taking it in his stride, it's his mother he's mostly worried about, he's taken it on himself to now make sure she's always taken care of, but Draco's made of the sternest stuff I've ever seen, he'll pull through this," Harry answered. **

**Kingsley nodded, "Well if he needs some time off to handle all of this I'll understand," Kingsley offered in a kind voice.**

**Harry simple shook his head, "No he doesn't want that, he feels it better to work through this by working to help bring others like these wretches to justice," Harry said truthfully.**

"**Very well, you must keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't let this drag him down and force him to get carried away," Kingsley said seriously.**

**Too late, Harry thought, for Draco and him as well, they've already found no such phrase of too far, not in their pursuits to destroy evil. The world of darkness was truly ruthless and they pulled no punches but instead come full force at you with a merciless attitude, and you can't fight that with smiles and idealistic dreams. Harry and Draco felt the only answer for such an onslaught was to be just as cut throat and equally ruthless in pursuing them all to their bloody ends. Was it right or wrong, Harry didn't know, but he felt it necessary. And he felt it was his calling to see a blow struck for the peaceful innocence of the world. He felt it his job so those same innocents didn't need to dirty their hands with the muck of the world of darkness. So Harry took that upon himself, he knew he wasn't innocent, he hadn't been in a long time. And that was the only way to fight this rising tide of wickedness and win, you don't send a sheep to fight lions, you send a bigger, more aggressive, hungrier lion. That's the only way to win. The only ones who can destroy demons are angels, and so they would. **

"**Well since that matter is put to rest you can focus on some other cases, again thank you for doing such a thorough job my friend, you have no idea how much this takes off my shoulders, well I'll let you get back to it then," Kingsley said warmly. **

**Harry nodded and bided the Minister farewell and walked out of the office to join his partner on the streets. **

**Hermione sat in her office just around lunch time as she heard a light knock on her door, "Come in," she called in response. **

**Luna made her way inside, causing Hermione to greet her warmly, "Hey Luna, what are you up to today," Hermione asked kindly.**

"**Oh I was just up on four, seeing Cambridge, thank you for recommending him he's been wonderful," Luna answered, speaking of Taylor Cambridge, the staff psychological healer, akin to a muggle psychiatrist, whom Luna had been seeing regularly to help her heal as much as possible. He had really helped her deal with her fear and blackened self image, but there was still a long way to go. **

"**I was just wondering if you were free for lunch, I really don't like eating in public alone," Luna said in a quiet voice.**

"**Of course, let me just grab my coat," Hermione answered, standing and retrieving her coat from the hook on the door. They walked out together and walked down the sidewalk, talking lightly as they went. They turned the corner and entered a nice little bistro Hermione frequented. **

**Once seated Luna began, "So how are you feeling," she asked brightly.**

"**Oh I'm fine, morning sickness isn't pleasant let me tell you. Plus the hormones are driving me crazy, I have these insane mood swings. Last night I nearly took Harry's head off with a vase for changing the station while I was watching a documentary about ancient Japanese cultures" Hermione said giggling slightly, causing Luna to do the same. **

"**Well that's to be expected, I'm sure Harry understands, how is he handling himself since you told him," Luna asked.**

"**Great, just as you predicted he was overjoyed, he's already blown through a wad of coin building an epic nursery, he's bought all the books about child rearing and he's been so supportive, I just wished he and Draco didn't have to work such late hours," Hermione said.**

"**Me too, I worry so much about him when he's late getting home," Luna said sounding a bit downcast.**

"**Yeah tell me about it, and it doesn't help that I get these weird random bouts of crazy randiness, and Harry not there to uh help relieve them" Hermione said with a coy smile, which Luna returned halfheartedly, Hermione dropped hers at the sight.**

"**I'm sorry Luna," she said softly.**

"**It's Ok, it really is, I don't mind talking to you about these things," she said perking up slightly.**

"**So how's it going for you and Draco in that department, any better," Hermione asked, reaching across the table to take her friends hand.**

"**It is actually, thanks to therapy I've begin to see making love much like I use to, I don't associate it with fear or pain as much, I'm not so afraid to let Draco touch me, I've stopped seeing their faces and I'm now only seeing Draco's. I sometimes still feel a kind of fear take me when we're in the heat of things, and every time he sees it Draco stops and I feel worse for not being able to fully give him what he needs. He's such a wonderful man sometimes I feel like a burden dragging him down," Luna said with sad eyes, feeling the truth in her words.**

**Hermione forced a strong gaze deep into her eyes as she responded, "Luna you are not a burden and I doubt Draco ever sees you as such, he loves you and you two complete each other, just as Harry and I do, you are his world just as he's yours and he would never feel like you were anything expect his wife, his soul mate," Hermione said, a fierce lilt heard in her voice, causing Luna to smile and feel slightly better about herself.**

"**Thank you Hermione, you know you really are my best friend and I love you so much for always being there when I need you," Luna said beaming radiantly.**

"**I love you too my friend and I'll always be there for you, you know that," Hermione responded, matching Luna's radiant streaks.**

**At the same time in the leaky cauldron Harry and Draco had just seated themselves to enjoy a quiet lunch. After they placed their orders Draco said, "So you think this will be the end of it, do you think Kingsley will be content with the case being closed," Draco asked, causing Harry to look weary at him as he looked around for eavesdroppers, "Don't worry, I cast Muffliato, no one can hear us," Draco added noting Harry's demeanor.**

**Harry's relaxed slightly, "Yeah I don't think we'll be hearing much more about it, he wanted to know if you wanted time off, thinks the stress might get to you," Harry said casually.**

"**What did you tell him," Draco asked.**

"**That you were made of sterner stuff than that," Harry said grinning causing Draco to do the same.**

"**I just wish my mother wasn't in pieces over it, that's the one part I really regret, she's taken it very hard, but she'll find peace someday, sometimes I wonder if maybe we're doing the right thing after all, sometimes I worry we're becoming like the ones we hunt, bringing pain like this to those who truly love these miserable fuckers, I mean they are all someone's son, husband, brother, father, and we take that from them, do you ever think about that," Draco asked in low tone.**

**Harry gazed at him, pondering the question, "Honestly yeah, sometimes it's all I think about," Harry answered.**

"**How do you deal with it," Draco asked. **

"**I just comfort myself with the idea that the world is a better place without these savage creatures in it, I mean it's not like we just go on random sprees of violence, we do have guidelines we strictly follow, we first make sure they truly deserve the Angels touch, we make sure their guilty of unforgivable crimes, and then we take them out. We save the worst for the worst offenders, those who's evil cannot be tolerated and for it must pay with pain, so it will stand in the faces of the multitude that still walk free in the world, I want them to fell the fear they rain upon their victims revisited a hundred fold," Harry answered firmly.**

"**I see their faces, the ones that raped my angel, I see them in the faces of all the men we kill, even my own father, I feel if our actions save even a single person from sharing the fates of the uncountable victims in the world then it was all worth it, even if it does cost us much in the end, that's the sacrifice we must make and I for one am willing," Draco said in a life affirming tone, totally convinced that he and Harry's actions were right.**

"**As am I partner, as am I, well now for business, we've got the triad tonight, the south China elite are massing in a warehouse on the outskirts of Beijing, receiving a massive shipment of weapons from the former soviet union, so it will be a good opportunity to get a fair number of them in one spot," Harry said in a strategic tone, Draco nodding his understanding. **

"**Now they are going to be packing some heavy stuff, full auto, armor piercing rounds and the like, and even though I have faith in our armor we still need to be careful, we might have to chance some magic," Harry said in a serious tone.**

**Draco pepped up at the mention of using magic, "Oh I've been cooking up a little charm that disables muggle rifles and smaller caliber pistols, I've only tested it on our weapons but I think it will work, what's say we try it tonight, I've worked it to be untraceable, what to you say," Draco said excited to try it out.**

"**Sounds like a plan," Harry said smiling. **

**Several rapidly speaking Asian men conversed in the middle of a large empty warehouse in Beijing, about forty in total as they motioned for a large truck to back through the large steel door that was hanging from a chain. The truck backed up and the men all began to unload several wooden crates from its depths, a tall thin man dressed in an immaculate suit lit a thin cigarette with a long golden lighter. It was the last thing he ever did in this life as a bullet bored straight through his skull, leaving it half missing as he crashed to the ground, the rest of the men all converged, pointing the long machine guns they had hanging on their shoulders to the catwalk where the shot was fired. Suddenly many were cut down with a wash of expertly fired shots from Harry and Draco's HK416's. They tried to fire in response but found all of their rifles to have mysteriously jammed at the exact same time, how unfortunate. **

**They began to flee in panic as Harry and Draco cut them down with a spray of hot molten lead, sending most crashing to their deaths, a few ran for the door but Harry shot the chain holding it up, sending the large rolling steel door slamming hard to the ground. They didn't even have time to turn fully before the angels cut them to pieces. **

**Harry and Draco hadn't noticed a small figure directly under them, looking up at them in dire fear as he threw a wad of powerful c4 up to the catwalk. Harry heard it hit and stared it the small bomb. He barley had time to set a plan in motion as he grabbed Draco and leapt with him off the catwalk to the concrete ground below, once down the small man tried to shot them but found his weapon also useless. Harry put a heartfelt shot right between his eyes. Just then Harry felt a massive explosion destroy the catwalk, sending it crashing to the floor. Harry had ever just so slightly managed to jump aside to avoid the falling steel, Draco wasn't so lucky.**

**After the dust settled slightly Harry heard his partner groan in pain, an ice crested fear took firm hold of Harry's soul as he rushed over to find Draco's lower body covered by the heavy rumble. Harry tried to lift the debris off but found it to heavy. He pulled his wand and just as he was about to levitate it off, Draco pulled a small throwing dagger and sent it flying fast past Harry's shoulder, right through the eye of a wild eyed attacker. **

**Harry turned to see a man he hadn't heard or noticed in his rush to save Draco standing directly behind him, a large knife poised to lunge through Harry's neck. It was then Harry noted that Draco had saved his life, for this Harry worked even more fervently to save him. He pointed his wand and the debris, at once it lifted itself off Draco and Harry pulled him to safety. **

**Harry then knelt at Draco's side as blood began to pour from his mouth, "Damnit you've got internal damage, we need to get you a hospital," Harry said in fear.**

"**No it's too risky, they ask too many questions," Draco said in a weak voice.**

"**We have to, I can't heal damage this extensive," Harry said firmly.**

"**There must be another way," Draco demanded, filling his voice in the determined stance not to do anything that would endanger the angels. **

**Suddenly a desperate idea struck Harry, it wasn't going to be pleasant but it was Draco's only hope to survive without going to the hospital. Harry began to lift Draco up when he said, "Leave the card."**

**Harry looked him in the eyes and found his sincerity to complete the mission. Harry reached in his pocket and withdrew their card and threw it on the figure of the small wretch who tried to stab Harry from behind. After he turned and apparted Draco directly into he and Hermione's room. Once there he placed him gently on the bed as Draco coughed violently, spewing up more blood. Harry vanished their weapons and ran to the door and cried in full voice, "HERMIONE, GET IN HERE QUICK."**

**He heard her rush frantically up the stairs and tear into the room, at once the color left her face as she stared at Draco in obvious pain, with blood coming from his mouth on her bed, "Harry what the hell happened," she cried as she rushed to Draco's side, running her wand over his body as she spoke.**

"**There was an explosion, he was caught under some heavy debris, please heal him," Harry said in desperation.**

"**We need to get him to St. Mungo's, I need help," she cried trying to lift Draco, to which he struggled hard against her.**

"**We can't Hermione, you'll have to do this alone, please baby I know you can do it," Harry said firmly taking her shoulder.**

"**Why not, Harry what the hell's going on, why can't we take Draco to the hospital, and what the hell are you guys wearing, that isn't Auror gear, what the hell's happening here," She cried frantically.**

**Harry took her firmly and looked fiercely into her chocolate eyes, "Hermione please do you trust me," he asked.**

**She looked in his piercing green ones in response, "Of course I do but I do.." she began but he cut her off.**

"**Then please don't ask questions, just help him please," Harry said, his voice alive with painful pleading, needing her to understand him in this and just do it.**

**She read his eyes and ceased questioning him, she did truly trust him, "get my bag from the closet," she ordered. Harry rushed to their closet and pulled the door quickly open and picked her bag up from and the ground and hastened it to her. **

**She took it as she rendered Draco unconscious with her wand to stop him from moving, causing more damage. She took a vial and syringe from her bag and took the cap off quickly with her teeth as she filled the needle with a blue potion. She sent it pumping through Draco's veins and his breathing immediately became much less labored. She used her wand and removed the armor he was wearing with great effort. Once exposed she began running her wand in a zig zag pattern up and down his pale chest, muttering various spells as she went. The blood at his mouth began to recede and his breathing returned to normal. She took a deep breath and looked up wearily at Harry, "I've repaired the damage, he's going to make it. He's going to be sore for a few week, he broke three ribs and one was lodged in his lung, but as I said I've repair those wounds but he's still going be tender there. Well now that that's over maybe you can explain to me what the hell you two have been up to while wearing those ridiculous outfits that would injury Draco like this?"**

**Just as soon as Harry had breathed a sigh of relief for his partner his chest tightened once more at Hermione's insistence on knowing what they had been doing, "Look Jeanie, you know I love you, and I would never want to lie to you, I can't tell you what this is about, just know its for the good of the world, and please if you truly love and trust me don't ever ask me again," Harry said in a tone that made her realize whatever this was, it was not only of grave importance to her husband it was also very dangerous. A sudden anger and fear hit her mind simultaneously , Harry noted her anger and rather than discuss it he lifted Draco's unconscious body up and turned to Hermione, "I 'd better get him home so Luna can look after him, I'll be back shortly," he said, leaving the room to apparate away with Draco. **

**Once he was gone Hermione stared at the door, seething in frustration and fear. She hated the idea that Harry was keeping secrets from her, it made her feel like he didn't trust her. After all what could they be doing that was so bad, it was Harry after all? She didn't know but she resolved herself in that moment to find out just what her husband and his partner had been up too. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 5**

**Hermione paced in a frustrated huff up and down her living room. She was still seething about Harry's attitudes towards her needing answers to the questions that assaulted her mind. It had been a week since Harry had brought Draco to their home gravely wounded and since Harry has been determined not to again speak of the matter, and became so closed off whenever she tried to bring it up. For this Harry's had spent the week sleeping on the sofa, and Hermione could feel a certain strain begin to develop in their marriage, and if it wasn't addressed it could become a major problem. What the hell has her husband gotten himself into, she wondered. She was desperately trying to figure a way to find out what was going on without having to be too underhanded about it. But in the end she finally decided if she was to have the answers she needed she would have to engage in some dubious investigative work. She couldn't help it, she had to know.**

**She thought about this as she waited patiently for Harry to get home, frustrated that he was again 'working late'. Though now she knew whatever he was doing had nothing to do with the ministry. Draco seems to have recovered quickly, she noted. She was disheartened by Luna's unhelpfulness in her probing of their husband's nocturnal activities. Luna stating she was content not to know. She said some questions don't need to be answered, and some things are better left alone. Her stance on this issue also added to Hermione's frustration. She felt Luna may know more than she was letting on, but if she did she was keeping it damn close to the vest. **

**She looked up at the clock, 9:45, she noted. Then she had a thought, an idea, in itself a bit sneaky but hey what could she do, Harry was painting her into a corner here. She ran up to their room and withdrew a powerful sleeping potion from her bag. She ran back downstairs and hastily spiked the decanter of aged scotch on the ornate end table that stood by the wall. She knew Harry to indulge in a single drink each night he returned from doing what the hell ever it was he was doing, and tonight she felt would be no different. **

**She was right, Harry walked silently in the house about a half an hour later and went for his shot of nightly stress relief. He poured a generous measure into one of the matching glasses and downed it at once. He suddenly felt dizzy, lightheaded. He needed rest he thought. He lumbered over to the sofa and collapsed on it, slumbering heavily the moment his head hit the cushion.**

**Hermione stepped out of the kitchen where she had been watching covertly. She walked over and heaved Harry onto his back and looked at his closed eyes. She forced one open and took out his magically enhanced contact lens. Once she had it secure on the tip of her finger she took her wand and muttered the most powerful tracking curse she knew, causing the lens to glow blue for a moment and then return to normal. She replaced it in his eye and rose and made her way to their room, a heavy heart dragging her down a bit, she longed to feel Harry's arms securely wrapped around her but first she had to know. **

**Hermione was hidden well under her disillusionment charm as she eyed her husband enter a small house in the English countryside. The charm she had placed on his contact had led her here and she now waited, hesitant about whether or not she should just barge in and see for herself what he was up too. She didn't ponder long on this thought as Harry remerged from the house a minute later with Draco now by his side. She gasped at the scene before her. There was her husband and the husband of her best friend once again decked out in full on tactical gear. Draco seemed to be carrying a pack of some kind on his back. And now they were carrying what looked to Hermione to be rather large muggle machine guns. What the hell are they planning to use those for she wondered? This was odd, Hermione couldn't make sense of it, why would wizards need muggle weapons, why didn't they just use magic to achieve their ends? Unless they didn't want people to know it was done by wizards, this concept intrigued Hermione further as she watched them turn and apparate away. She immediately flourished her wand and felt the pull of the tracking charm guide her as she apparated in pursuit.**

**She landed rather poorly, not knowing where she was being pulled. She fell hard and knew she made a large conspicuous noise, and at once she knew her mistake. She could now see the barrels of two large rifles pointed straight at her head.**

"**We know someone's there, even if you are invisible, show yourself or we will open fire," Harry demanded in a truly terrifying voice, one she had never heard him use before.**

**At once she dropped her disillusionment charm and looked up in a sort of restrained fear and anger. At once Harry and Draco lowered their weapons as a look of complete horror washed over Harry's entire face. It was suddenly replaced by stark anger as he began to berate his wife for her dangerous foolishness. **

"**Damn it Jeanie what the fuck is wrong with you, do you realize we nearly shot you at hearing your fall, if we hadn't noted that you were invisible and therefore magical we would have," Harry seethed in a hush tone.**

**Hermione more than matched his anger as she rose to her feet to stare him in the eye, "Shoot me, and why would you do that, why are you carrying those weapons and what the hell is going on here, why are we in the middle of the woods," she now noted that they were indeed standing in the middle of a wide looking patch of trees. But it was unlike and patch of trees she had ever seen. They were wilder, more savage looking. The air around them was thick with a heavy humidity and she could hear all sorts of wild creatures scurrying about the underbrush. It was then she realized they weren't in the middle of a wood, they were in a jungle, but where? **

"**Harry where the hell are we," she asked feeling more nervous now.**

**Harry pulled her down behind a thicket of trees to a crouching position with he and Draco and began to speak in a hushed tone, "Please Jeanie apparate home and forget what you've seen tonight" Harry pleaded.**

"**Not a chance Potter, you're going to come clean right this instant," Hermione demanded in a piercing voice, to which Harry quickly motioned for her to drop.**

"**Quiet, this is a hostile engagement, we can't run the risk of giving away our position, and you know if you don't go home I can always stun you, drag you there myself and wipe your memory," Harry said in response.**

"**Do it then," Hermione shot back in a deadly voice.**

**Harry simply stared at her and let out a heavy breath, knowing full well he could never do that to her, no matter what he loved and respected her to much. And then a sort of calm came over Harry, it had been a burden, a heavy burden carrying this secret, keeping it from Hermione, maybe it was time she knew. He couldn't tell her though, he couldn't break the vow, he had to show her.**

"**What should we do," Draco said quietly eyeing a jungle road just seen over some brush, "should we just scrap it for tonight until you two can sort this out," he asked in a hurried tone.**

"**NO," Harry answered firmly, "This may be the only chance we get for a long time. He's moving to his stronghold tonight, and if we don't get him in transit we may not get another chance, unless we storm his base and that will be a fight and a half, and besides a lot of the so called men he commands are just wayward kids, not truly evil, just misguided, not deserving of the angels touch, no I only want him and his bodyguards, he's the head of this snake, their may be another that rises after he's gone but we'll deal with him when he comes. Get ready, they should be here anytime."**

**Draco nodded and took his pact off and withdrew several blocks of c4 from its depth, Hermione still looked on, her intrigue now burning red hot, what did Harry mean by the Angels touch, unless they were, muggle weapons, not wanting to harm innocent children, attacking some wicked muggle, her husband and his partner, they were the crazed vigilantes the Avenging Angels. She gasped and grabbed her mouth, she felt like she was going to be sick as the revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. **

"**You, Harry, you two are, you're the.." she begun to say breathing hard, to which Harry immediately rushed to her side out of concern for her and the babies well being.**

"**Are you Ok," Harry asked concerned.**

**She threw his hands off her roughly, "No I'm bloody well not OK, you two are those Avenging Angels," she said in a tone of cold fury and disbelief.**

"**Got there finally, and I thought you were supposed to be smart," Draco said with a slight grin.**

"**Fuck off Malfoy," Hermione hissed at him, "this isn't something you'd expect your husband to be, a cold blooded murderer," Hermione said furiously.**

"**Is that really how you see it, do you really think we just randomly attack innocent people," Harry shot back.**

"**Well don't you," Hermione demanded.**

**Harry shook his head as a sobering cadence washed over his face, "Do you know where we are," he asked to which she shook her head, "we are in the jungles of central America, awaiting the arrival of a self proclaimed general and dictator, his name is Miguel Ortega and he is truly evil. A vile despot. He has ruthlessly seized control of this country and destroyed any who've tried to restore it. He is truly without compassion or mercy, just last week he ordered the complete destruction of a large village not far from here. His soldiers first executed every last man in the village. They then took turns brutally raping all the women, and after they were through they cut their throats. They murdered all the children and oh the infants and small babies, you know what he had done to them. No, well he had them smothered, not to be more humane, no, it was so their bodies could be hollowed out and stuffed with muggle narcotics. So he could more easily smuggle them into other countries, I mean who'd suspect a woman with a sleeping baby is really a drug mule with a decaying corpse stuffed to the brim with cocaine. That is the nature of this man and all others we hunt, now look me in the eyes and once again tell me we attack random innocents," Harry said looking deep into her eyes. **

**She made no answer, Harry's revelations hitting her soul cruelly. She didn't have long to ponder this as she heard Draco cry in a whisper, "Their approaching, a hundred meters off coming fast," Draco informed them.**

**Harry nodded and Draco at once waved his wand over the twelve or so wads of c4 causing them to vanish, sending them to secure themselves under the fast moving vehicles. He took firm hold of a detonator and waited. Harry stayed close to Hermione, ready to shield her from any harm. They waited with stalled breath as they heard the sounds of jeeps driving fast up the narrow jungle road. Once they had past Draco waited for them to be just out of shrapnel range. Once they were he pushed the detonators trigger hard and the nights silence was rent with a deafening explosion. They could see as a great ball of fire rose to lick the heavens, the seven jeeps stood now as nothing but useless chunks of smoldering metal and burning flesh. Hermione stared on, not really knowing how she felt about this. **

**Harry and Draco looked on, a certain satisfaction alive in their eyes. Harry walked up to the scene and took a medallion from his pocket. It was the yin yang symbol. Harry took their card and stuck in firmly over the side of darkness on the medallion, leaving only the side of light exposed, and after he secured it firmly to a tree right by the burning convoy. **

**He then looked over to Hermione, whose expression was unreadable. He began to walk over to her, to now fully explain but she suddenly felt the icy hand of fear take her. She needed to think, work through her feelings about this. She turned and apparated away quickly, leaving Harry looking on as a piece of his heart shattered. **

**Hermione appeared in front of a large cottage in Ottery St. Catchpole, she walked quickly up the steps with determination and reached out her hand and knocked hastily on the large oak door. A few minutes later Luna answered and could immediately see from Hermione's demeanor that something was terribly wrong.**

"**Hermione what's the matter, you look like you've just seen something horrible," Luna said softly.**

"**Believe me I have, may I come in," she asked.**

"**Off course" Luna answered, moving aside, letting Hermione enter her and Draco's home. Once in Hermione turned, a look of pure disbelief in her eyes.**

"**Luna this may be hard to hear but you have to know, our husbands have been doing horrible things, they've been murdering people they see as evil, their those vigilantes the Avenging Angels," Hermione said.**

**Luna simply stared at her, a sort of knowing in her eyes, "Oh yes they are," she said plainly.**

**Hermione looked stunned, unable to believe her ears, "You mean you knew, you knew all along and you didn't tell me," Hermione said in a raised voice, truly pissed that Luna would keep this from her.**

"**I wasn't completely sure but I had a feeling that's what they were doing. I'm surprised you didn't. I mean it was obvious from the reports through the muggle media that the Angels operate all over the world, and that means either their a wide network of operating warriors, highly doubtful an organization so large would go completely unnoticed by every muggle law enforcement agency in the world, or they were in fact wizards. Once I put that together I knew it was Harry and Draco, I mean who else has lived the lives required to have a blinding need to take out the pain they've been dealt on the world's wickedness," Luna said in a quiet voice, it was quiet but it held something odd to Hermione's ears. It held what sounded like a certain pride.**

"**Luna you can't mean you condone what their doing, its wrong," Hermione said through a desperate sigh.**

"**Who's to say if it is or not, I won't, because I'm not one to tell the world what's right or wrong. You know there was a time when witches were burned at the stake because it was what society deemed was right. If your were living in that time would you submit yourself to the flames because it was what the world told you was the right thing to do? I feel it is necessary for them, I mean think about it Hermione, think about the life your husband's been forced to lead. The pain and loss he's dealt with. We will never know how deep his scars run. Every time, and I mean every time he's been given something it's been taken from him, his parents, his godfather, his mentor, his friends, his wife. All ripped violently from him. And then he and you found each other and you showed him what a life of peace and love truly was, and not more than a week after I had my little incident. I feel in that moment Harry felt if he didn't do something to fight back the world of evil would never relent, but always strike at him mercilessly, striving to take everything from him. Our husbands are fighting for us Hermione, to keep us and countless others safe and I don't care if it's wrong I love Draco more for doing this. Maybe that's because I've tasted the worlds evil and it truly leaves a bitter taste, but maybe it's because no matter what happens I love my husband and will support him in whatever path he chooses. Ask yourself this, you now know what Harry's done and plans to do, giving that information do you still love him" Luna finished, breathing hard. A wealth of emotions flooding through her while defending her husband and his partner, her friend.**

**Hermione just stared at her, not knowing what to say. She hadn't thought about it like this, she couldn't see it from Harry's point of view. He had lead a truly painful life, and those scars did shape him into what he has become. And maybe there was something to this, maybe it was time the world of peace and light had warriors like Harry and Draco, willing to give up their souls to protect the world from evil. Hermione calmed herself as she pondered Luna's last question, and she didn't really have to. She knew the answer, she did still love Harry and she always would. She rushed forward and embraced her friend, and when she felt Luna's loving and supportive arms she felt the anger, fear, worry, frustration and moral qualms she had about this whole affair ease greatly. She may not like or agree with what he was doing but she would never do anything to harm him, nor could she live the rest of her life without him by her side.**

"**Thank you," Hermione whispered in Luna's ear.**

"**Your welcome, but you already knew all of this, you just had to have someone force you to see it," Luna said in response.**

**Harry stood outside of his home and just stared at the door, not sure whether or not he wanted to enter. He was terrified by what he would find. If he found her gone he didn't know what he'd do. His life would be over and his heart would finally be completely dead. But what if she wasn't he wondered, how would he handle it if she insisted he stop what he and Draco were doing. He couldn't do that either, the commitment he made with the Angels was unbreakable, and would be with him to the grave. He wondered if he could make her understand this. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and walked through the front door.**

**He found her sitting on the stairs staring at the door, obviously waiting for him to get there. Her expression was blank, impossible to read. She rose and walked determinately to where he stood and without word or warning reached back and slapped him very hard across the face. **

"**That was for lying to me, hear me and believe when I say if you ever do it again there will be worse hell to pay," she said in a fierce voice. **

**She turned and began walking up the stairs, Harry watched with pain filled eyes as she went up. She stopped halfway and looked back, "Well, are you coming or not, I need to feel my husband in and around me tonight," she called with a slight smile.**

**Harry's face broke into a wash of love, affection, and tremendous relief, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He ran up the stairs and chased his extremely eager wife into their room. **


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 6

Hermione sat and listened as Harry talked for well over an hour, after they had shared three passionate sessions of truly mind blowing sex. After they were through she demanded to know fully what the Angels were all about, and what they've done. Since Hermione had already discovered their secret on her own Harry wasn't breaking the vow by filling in the holes. He left out the more gruesome details but he didn't sugar coat it. He told her in realistic terms what they had done, and more importantly what they planned to do. She sat and listened and a sort of reservation took her. For some reason she couldn't explain the more she heard the easier it became, maybe it was the pain she saw leave his eyes as he explained his reasons for destroying evildoers in grotesque ways, or maybe a dark part of her own soul that had been slumbering deeply inside was beginning to wake.

"And you have no problems doing these things. I mean did you two really flay a child molesters back skin and hang him on a freeway sign with his back flaps spread wide out making them seem like wings with your card nailed to his forehead?" Hermione asked, but not so much in disgust, more in curiosity.

"Yeah, we did that," Harry answered plainly, looking over to her as she lay on her side with her head resting on her hand.

"How did that make you feel," Hermione asked.

"Honestly it felt right, I don't know why but from all I knew of what he'd done I felt it a fitting punishment. It wasn't done solely to cause pain, it serves as a warning to other deviants out there. So they'll know if they harm children they will feel that pain revisited on them. I know you don't agree but it's how I see it" Harry said staring at her with a determined look.

Hermione didn't immediately respond, she simply stared back at him. So many tiny thoughts and emotions were pulling her mind in a thousand different directions. She felt her husband didn't have the right to make such judgments of life and death, no one should really have that power. But she had to admit that it was an imperfect world, and maybe being such that there were no perfect solutions to many of its problems. She did feel for the victims of these monsters, and if the Angels could save countless of them from becoming victims and drive the fear of death into these bastards' souls then maybe questions of morality could be put away. Was it perfect, no, but maybe it was what the world needed. She also felt a dire fear rising. This wasn't like working in a dangerous profession, this was a stark calling that put him in danger from not only the vile demons of the underworld, but also the justice from those sworn to uphold the letter of the law. If they were discovered Harry and Draco would be punished severally for their actions. Hermione knew this and she couldn't stomach the idea.

"This is a serious risk you two are taking, you do know what will happen if your found out," Hermione asked.

"Of course I do, but it's a risk Draco and I are willing to take to see this work done," Harry answered firmly.

"Have you even thought of stopping," Hermione asked.

"No, it's impossible, we can never stop," Harry responded quickly.

"Why not, maybe once you've felt you've done enough maybe you could just stop," she offered hopefully.

"No it will never be enough, not until there is no more evil left to hunt, and that is not bloody likely, besides Draco and I made a vow to never relent," Harry answered, looking her in the eyes, them pleading with her to understand.

"And what vow would that be," Hermione asked in fear and quiet rage, knowing full well what the answer was. He looked at her and gave her the answer with his eyes.

"No, you didn't, damn it Harry, tell me you didn't make the unbreakable vow here," She asked in desperation.

Harry simply looked down and nodded, at once she start pummeling him hard with tightly balled fists.

"Damn you Harry how could you do that, did you even think of me or us at all before you did something so incredibly stupid," she screamed in fury as she continued punching ever place on his body she possibly could.

"It was the only way at the time we could make sure of the others commitment in this, I'm sorry Jeanie I really am but I did it, and something's you do can never be undone," Harry answered when she stopped her violent assault.

She simply fumed, incensed that her husband would do something to completely trap himself in this deadly pursuit. She knew then that this was now going to be a part of their lives forever. And Hermione being who she was didn't trust anything do be done right if she didn't have a hand in it, "Well there's nothing for it then, since you have no choice to continue your going to have to bring me in on it, you could really use the help of someone who's not a complete idiot. You've done well to keep your identities hidden but sooner or later you're going to slip and go too far. If your going to do this so am I, if nothing else than to make sure you two don't go getting yourselves killed or arrested." Hermione said in a truly frightening tone, well frightening for all husbands who've heard that particular voice rise in their wives, any out there lucky enough to have never heard it consider yourselves truly blessed.

"No way in hell Jeanie, its do dangerous, besides do you really want to get yourself that dirty," Harry asked.

"When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that we're in this together, what happens to you happens to me and I for one don't want my life ruined by this so I'll tell you just once more I am coming in on this and I'd like to see you try and stop me," she said with strong resolution, "besides I have no interest in killing people, even if they do deserve it, but I can help in research and planning, and making damned sure the ones you go after really and truly deserve it. So from here on in consider me an Angel, and if you don't like it you can go fuck yourself," she fumed as she turned and laid flat, telling him with her body that she was putting the matter to rest. Harry smiled at her determination, so relived that she understood his need to see this through to the end. He fell in love with her all over again in that moment as he moved to her back and whispered gently into her ear.

"Welcome aboard my angel."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 7

Hermione apparated to the quant little house secured in secret along the lovely English countryside. She made her way into the house and immediately walked into a room she had insisted on setting up shortly after joining the Angels. It was a huge room, decked out with the latest surveillance technology. Rows of large screen computers sat on steel desks, along with satellite tracking systems. There was a huge world map that hung on the wall with push pins arrayed in several countries, all indicating a spot where the angels had struck.

Hermione has become very skilled in tapping into military satellites, as well as hacking into a wealth of many top nations intelligence files. So the Angels now had even more information on the worlds most heinous evildoers, where they were thought to be and what sorts of personal they had guarding them. Stronghold layouts, defense weak points, structural vulnerability and much more very helpful information. Harry and Draco had to admit since joining their ranks Hermione has been an indispensable member of the team, and her strong stance on the Angels criteria kept Harry and Draco from sinking into a mad blood lust. She had become the team's conscience. She kept them sane.

She walked into the room and found Harry and Draco dressed and fully ready for their planned mission. She smiled warmly at them as Harry walked forward to embrace his wife and teammate.

"How was Lily Rose when you dropped her off with Luna," Harry asked speaking of their one year old daughter, whom had came into his life as a blessing Harry never thought possible. He never knew he could love someone as completely as his wife but he found he loved his little girl just as much, and when he looked at her tiny sleeping form the feeling of needing to protect her from the vile wretchedness of the world reconfirmed his stance on the Angels and their mission.

"She was fine, sleeping. Luna lit up like Paris when she took her goddaughter, she loves her so much," Hermione said beaming.

"That she does Hermione, thank you for letting Luna spend so much time with her, caring for her when your working at the hospital or here working with us. Its been great medicine for Luna's soul, caring for that small child has done more than years of therapy ever could so again for that thank you," Draco said in full heartfelt gratitude.

"No thanks required Draco, you two are family and that's what family's do, they love and look out for each other," she said warmly.

"Well not to interrupt but if we're going to make dinner at Draco and Luna's while it's still hot we have to get a move on. Draco and I were just going through the thermal scans of the cave. Now are you sure he's there, we've hit dead ends tracking him before," Harry asked Hermione.

"He's there, intercepted communications place him firmly at the sight. He and his top lieutenants, along with several bodyguards are meeting to discuss how to handle the next possible attack, and if what we've found out it looks like their going to seriously try for a chemical weapons strike, detonated in the center of a major western city, probably in the United States or here in Britain, seeing as their the targets these terrorist like to strike the most. So it's important we put an end to this before they can progress too far into their planned event of epic carnage. You know when I first joined I was hesitant but when we do jobs like this that could save hundreds of thousands of lives if not millions I'll admit it seems worth it. So the second you land make sure you fire the spell to disable all of their weapons, don't take any chances. Be watchful for bobby traps and stay tight and move fast. Good luck and be careful," She said, fear heard ever so slightly in her voice.

"We know love, this isn't our first parade," Harry said smirking, causing Hermione to glare at him with a stern look. Silently berating him for not taking her serious. But she needn't have worried, if there was one thing Harry and Draco took very seriously it was their work. Harry adopted a demeanor showing her this and she calmed at the sight.

"Well just so you remember that, don't take these men lightly, they are religious extremists and they are prepared to die for what they believe in, even if that is murdering innocents like women and children," Hermione said sternly.

"Fitting then, seeing as their so into their faith because their about to be visited by a couple of Angels," Draco said with a devilish grin.

Harry and Draco both cast disillusionment charms, causing both to vanish completely from sight. At once they turned and apparated a hundred meters in front of a large opening to what they knew was a vastly wide underground cave.

"Alright online in 3, 2, 1," Harry said touching his ear, Draco doing the same. Once they did they could hear Hermione's voice on the other end.

"Are we up, check one," Hermione answered.

"One up," Harry answered.

"Two up," Draco said in a veiled voice.

They eyed two tall men wearing long robes, not wizarding robes. These were robes worn by members of these muggles particular religion, which both Harry and Draco had to admit after studying it was indeed a religion of peace and love, but like so many other well meaning systems of belief it had been warped and twisted to serve the malicious ends of evil and ruthless men.

"OK, you should be seeing to guards flanking the entrance," Hermione said.

Draco and Harry approached silently, they crept up behind them and drew two long knifes and in a single mirrored motion pulled their heads back and slit their throats. Sending them crumbling silently to the ground.

"OK, now once in there a passage to the right, take it, there are men walking about there so handle them as quietly as possible so as not to alert the others to your presence before your in position," Hermione said watching their movements on her screen, their body heat registering on her satellite thermal scans. She peered over to two other screens which showed what Harry and Draco saw, thanks to two cameras they had secured to their body armor.

Harry and Draco drew their wands and cast the powerful weapons disabling spell throughout the whole cave. After they secured two long silencers on the barrels of their rifles. Once on they moved in silent stealth as they took the passage Hermione indicated. They saw a group of four standing milled around each other. They took aim and picked them off quickly with four rapidly fired head shots. Sending the unaware wretches falling dead to the floor.

They made their way over the crumbled bodies and continued up the passage, where they eyed seven more. Moving towards them, seemingly unaware of what had just happens. They took aim and dropped five but the other two ducked fast and tore up the cave, screaming the alert as they went.

"Damn, they've sounded the alarm, the rest are moving fast to your position in full gear, well at least they wont work thanks to the disarming spell," Hermione said hopefully, but still feeling a slight fear take hold.

Draco took a knee and Harry stood firm, they both switched their weapons to full auto as they readied themselves for the approaching horde. They rounded the corner and were cut down by Harry and Draco's fire. The ones behind couldn't see where the shots were being fired from but they tried to fire in response. They found their weapons useless, but rather than flee they stood firm and drew long curved knifes.

Their were only six remaining after Harry and Draco leveled thirty before their magazines were spent. They looked on the men and found a certain respect for their courage. They knew them to still be wantonly evil but they felt they at least deserved a fighting chance.

They dropped their disillusionment charms and drew their knifes.

"What the hell are you doing, shoot them, why have you dropped the charms, they can see you, what the hell are you guys thinking," Hermione cried into their ear pieces.

Harry and Draco made no answer, feeling a little need deep in their souls for some close quarter work. The six men rushed furiously at them and they both spun to avoid the two front men's outstretched blades. Harry took his opponents arm and in a devastating blow drove his blade through the mans jaw.

Draco pushed his attacker's blade aside roughly and plunged his deeply through his ribcage. The next two advanced, luckily the cave was so narrow that only two could attack at a time. The first ran at Harry and brought his blade down hard, trying with all his strength to pierce Harry's eye. Harry grabbed the mans arm and held it firm, but the man was stronger than Harry anticipated. The knife inched closer to his eye, Draco couldn't help, being busy with his own adversary. The blades tip was right in front of Harry's pupil and then Harry roughly pushed it aside, causing the blade to cut a large gash in his cheek.

The burning feeling made Harry's anger peak as he grabbed the man's wrist when he came for another frontal attack. Harry spun his wrist in his hand and stabbed the man right in the heart sending him to the ground hard. Harry looked over to Draco who had just subdued his man with a quick cut to the mans groin, followed by a shot right through the neck with the blades tip.

Draco stood firm with Harry as they now eyed the remaining two, who's courage seemed to have falter somewhat as they began to tear up the hall. Harry and Draco looked at each other and at once both sent their daggers flying to the men's backs. Both finding their marks right through their hearts. They stared at their fallen forms for a moment as Hermione yelled in anger in their ears.

"Well now that you have that madness out of your systems maybe you can focus on the mission and not getting yourselves killed. The room your main targets in is thirty meters dead ahead, pardon the pun," Hermione said, relief heard in her voice for Harry and Draco succeeding in eliminating their enemies.

Harry and Draco dropped their spent magazines on their rifles and slapped two more in. They moved forward and found a large steel door they hadn't expected.

"UH dear you failed to mention their was a steel door here," Harry said.

"Well I knew there was a door but I didn't know it was steel, it didn't show up on the scans, your just going to have to improvise, you should be good at that by now," Hermione answered.

Draco looked over to Harry and smirked, "She's right you should be an old hand in that by now."

Harry looked to his partner annoyed as he drew his wand and they both took several steps back. He pointed his wand and cried "Expulso."

The door was meet with Harry's powerfully cast explosion spell and at once the steel crumbled and was blasted completely of the hinges. Once the dust cleared five men rushed out and were meet with Harry and Draco's wrath, fired through their rifles. They fell one by one as the Angels made their way into the small room to deal with the ten remaining inside. Once they were in they found them trying to pry open what seemed to be an escaped hatch of some kind. Harry tore into them with full automatic fire, sending the four trying to escape to the ground dead. Draco dealt swiftly with the five remaining. After their bodies were riddled with several smoking bullet holes they both walked to the center of the room and found the one remaining. The leader of this wide network of ruthless terrorists. He was knelling on the ground, apparently praying. Harry walked over and drew his side arm, a nine millimeter berretta and pointed it firm against the mans temple. He cast a translation spell so the man could understand his words while he spoke in English, "That's right, beg him for mercy and forgiveness for your evil acts, you'll find nether from us," Harry said as he firmly squeezed the trigger, sending a single bullet tearing through his skull. Hollowing a tube straight through. The other side exploded as the bullet found its exit, sending pieces of skull and brain matter flying towards the ground, painting the side of the circular room with a dark crimson hue.

After he was dead Harry took their card and rolled the man's body onto his back. He took a long thin needle from Draco's outstretched hand and placed the card over the man's heart. He pierced the card as well as the wretch's heart, securing it in place.

After he rose and with Draco they apparated back to headquarters. Once in Hermione rushed out of the control room and threw herself into her husband's arms. After a loving embrace she slapped the back of his head hard, "What the hell's wrong with you guys, I thought this was about stomping out evil, not sick thrill seeking, fighting those men with knives, I mean what the hell," she asked in clear frustration, healing the gash on his cheek with her wand.

"It seemed the right thing to do, those men came full force at rifles with knives, we don't see that sort of bravery often, it seemed wrong not to give them a fighting chance," Harry said firmly, letting her see his reasons in his eyes.

"Well honor and nobility aside your taking to many chances out there, you trust your luck to much, next time just follow the plan will you, anyways I guess that's another pin," Hermione said, taken a pushpin out of a jar full of them and walked over to the world map and placed it firmly in the representation of the country in the middle east.

"Well that puts an end to their plans for violent world attacks, but trust and believe there will be more to come. This seems hopeless, like trying to empty the oceans a teaspoon at a time," Hermione said through a long sigh.

"Hey give us more credit than that, it's a least a ladle," Harry said smirking smugly, causing Hermione and Draco to laugh hardily.

"Well lets get back and see if the goose my wife's cooking is ready yet," Draco said smiling. Harry and Hermione followed him out of the room walking hand in hand.

While this was going on, many miles away a group of the few remaining dark wizards were meeting in secret in the bowels of an ancient sewer system in Rome, Italy.

The one who stood out was Devilin Ward, a former deatheater and the leader of the last gasp of wizarding evil. He stood just six feet and had dark black hair, with red lifeless eyes. A large scar was on his cheek, a gift from a meeting with Harry that he just barley managed to escape from. He was surrounding by twenty looming figures, all looking thoroughly ragged, as if life had been none to kind to them in recent years.

"Why have you called us here Ward, its dangerous exposing ourselves like this," Cried a large hulking figure at Ward's right.

"Because if something's not done to stop this we will all be dead. You have noticed what's been happening here don't you. All of our kind are being picked off one at a time and I know who's behind it, we all do. It's got to be Potter and his partner, their the only ones with the guts to come after all of us. I'm sure it's them. So now we have to discuss how to deal with this troubling problem. Now I know none of you fancy trying to deal with Potter, I admit I don't want to try myself, one missed chance and that's the end for us. So I've taken the initiative here and found someone who not only wants to face Potter but practically begged for the chance. I've broken him out of Azkaban with great risk and effort and treated him for the wounds Potter inflicted. He's not all there but his insatiable desire to kill Potter and his whole family will drive him in this I know it will. He's our best chance."

"Who the hell are you talking about Ward," The hulking figure demanded.

"Please come into the light my friend," Ward said in a light vice, holding out an inviting hand to the shadows, welcoming a thin and ragged figure whom had been standing off in the shadows to move forward.

Once he stepped into the light all stared at his emaciated form, his skin was pale, his frame slight, his skeletal structure seen poking through his skin. His face was gaunt and his hair was as red as the fire in his eyes. They burned with a longing desire to see his old friend once again.

"When do we begin" Ron said in a mad, death filled tone.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 8

Eyes, dark eyes full of a blinding hate looked on with determined measure born of wrath. they looked, hidden well under a disillusionment charm. The eyes stared, long and hard at its intended quarry, a tall lean figure with short blond hair. He watched as Draco walked out of his home and began walking down the street. He watched as he approached his position and right before he was on top of him Ron held out his borrowed wand and sent the most powerful stunning spell he could muster straight through Dracos chest.

He was lifted off his feet and was sent soaring five feet back. Unconscious before he hit the floor. Ron pounced on him and hastily picked him up and apprated quickly away.

Dracos head was throbbing, his vision blurred. He felt harsh fiber tied roughly around his wrists. He could see clearer now. It was dark, and cold, with just the slightest hint of little coming from somewhere above him. He looked around. He was in a small room, tied to a chair. It looked to be a basement of sorts. He couldn't see anyone but he could hear the sounds of footsteps on the ceiling above him.

Draco was not afraid, not really. He had been trained to deal with capture and harsh interrogation. And he felt deeply inside that his pursuits in recent years may lead him to a place like this sooner or later. He quickly looked around, trying to form the vague outlines of an escape plan. He looked down, he was still wearing his uniform. He tried desperately to reach his ankle, where he had stowed a small blade.

He was trying with all his strength when he heard a door open at the top of some dilapidated stairs off to his right. He heard slow and heavy feet lumbering down the stairs. He could see a figure emerge into the light and once he caught sight of dirty red hair the fires of his deadly anger was greatly stoked.

"Hello Malfoy, lovely seeing you again mate," Ron snidely said with a tone of contempt.

"Fuck you you sorry bastard," Draco seethed through gritted teeth.

"Tut tut, now Draco is that any way to greet your host," Ron asked through an evil smirk.

"Well to be honest I'd love to be rid of your company,, So now what," Draco asked with a cold stare.

"Oh you know this and that, trimming the fat. Saluting and singing, and bloody neck ringing," Ron said softly and slowly, nearly singing. He was swaying around in front Draco with a wild expression of unbridled joy and insanity.

It was then that Draco noted that Ron had indeed gone completely mad. It didn't surprise Draco, he knew what Harry had done to him.

Ron was still swaying, humming his light song of hellish madness. When he was finished he looked down at Draco and smiled, "In plain terms you miserable fucker, I'm going to kill you, your wife, and my lovely ex partner and his whore. It will be long, it will be hard and it will be very painful," Ron said in a voice full of quiet rage.

"Really," Draco answered casually, knowing better than to play this fools games by becoming angry, "care telling me how?"

"All in good time Malfoy, all in good time, but first," Ron said suddenly advancing on Draco, reaching up and in a violent motion ripping a piece of his hair out.

He pulled a flask from his pocket, opening it and dropping the follicles in. A silvery smoke rose from the flask and evaporated. Ron swirled the mixture around and took a long drought.

Draco watched in horror as Ron began to shake and convulse as his red hair turned white. His body changed as his chest and arms began expanding, filling out. Draco was now staring face to face with himself. He looked on as Ron began laughing in a perfect copy of Dracos body.

"Never did like the taste of polyjuice potion, but its a small price to pay to get a chance for a taste of something more appetizing. Like your tasty little wife. Um um um, I'll bet shes just Delicious," Ron said, a truly heinous and evil lust alive in his voice.

"Touch her and I'll rip your fucking heart out and feed it to you," Draco raged while now struggling full force against his bounds.

Ron pointed his wand and placed Draco in a full body bind, ceasing his struggling at once.

"Now that's better, and as for ripping my heart out believe me its been dead for years. Make no mistake," Ron said in what was now a terrifyingly serious voice, "I am going to kill you all for what you've done to me. My look at the time, I'll bet our partners beginning to worry. Well we can't have that, so I guess I'd be report for duty to the beloved Captain Potter."

Draco watched as his doppelganger strode to the stairs, stopping to shot him an evil grin and a chilling laugh, and then he was gone. Draco stared ahead still frozen and did something he had never done before. He prayed.

Authors Note: To all my fans let me say I am terribly sorry for being gone for so long. I have been so busy that its been hard finding time for such fulfilling pursuits such as this. But I have more free time now so I will be updating frequently, until then here's a short chapter to say I'm back, enjoy.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 9

Harry stood in front of the ministry entrance waiting for Draco to arrive. He felt a touch worried, it wasn't like Draco to be late. There was something else as well, a nagging feeling that something was amiss. Something just felt wrong.

He looked up to find the form of Draco striding merrily towards him. That nearly gave the git away, seeing as Draco is not a morning person, and Harry knew it.

"Someone looks chipper today," Harry said as Draco's double approached.

"Why not mate, it's a beautiful day. Life is truly good my friend," Ron replied doing his best to match Draco's voice.

Harry looked weary, "Are you OK mate, sounds like you have a bit of a sore throat?"

Ron quickly grabbed his throat and coughed a bit, as if he were fighting of a bug of some kind, "Yeah, don't know what it is, started last night. Nothing to worry about though," He replied through some more forced coughs.

Harry simply shrugged, he accepted it. Thinking his friend skilled enough to avoid traps that would put their operation in jeopardy.

"Ok mate. Its pretty quiet on the streets, not much to do so I was thinking we could plan a new op. The Japanese Yakuza have been on our to do list for a while now, and after Hermione's intel it seems their activites are truly heinous. I'm going to love settling those fuckers hash," Harry said with a voice soaked in the darkness of righteous blood lust.

Ron smiled, it was as they suspected, Harry and Draco were the Avenging Angels. Ron never doubted, and now he had confirmation.

"Sounds good mate, will Hermione be joining us," Ron asked, repressing the mad hate he held for both in his voice.

"No, she has to work today, but she has it all set up. I think we can manage this one on our own don't you?"

"No worries mate, this isn't our first rodeo," Ron oozed with a sickening euphoric smugness.

"OK mate, to HQ then," Harry said about to turn to apperate, just as he did Ron caught his arm and was pulled through the familiar nothingness of apparation.

They both hit the ground in front of their countryside cottage headquarters and Harry looked at Ron, clearly surprised by his latching on for a side along apparation.

"What gives man, why didn't you apperate on your own" Harry asked.

"Sorry mate, just thought it would draw less attention, you know, can't be to careful," Ron said convincingly, becoming a master of deception.

Harry looked all together unconvinced and then began to worry. Was Draco under someone else control, had someone placed an imperious curse on him, or was it something else. He'd soon find out, the wards set up around their HQ were so that only the Angels and no one else could enter. Harry turned and walked through them with Ron hot on his heels. Harry heard the transformation as Ron passed the barrier. In a flash of lighting speed Harry drew his wand and spun, finding Rons sickly pale face staring back him, clearly trying to figure out what just happened to what he thought was a flawless plan. Dumbshit.

"YOU" Harry bellowed as he let his wand fall, slicing Ron across the face with a well placed curse.

Ron buckled and fled, turning and aperrating quickly away. Harry stood there unable to believe what he had just seen. How is this possible, how the hell did that bastard escape, he wondered.

Then the obvious hit him, Draco. Using polyjuice potion Ron would have to had subdued Draco. His friend was in trouble, Harry needed to act. But first he had to make sure his family was safe.

He turned and apperated quickly to St. Mungos and quickly tore inside, making a beeline to Hermione's office.

He rushed in, finding her immersed in paperwork. She looked up startled by her husbands sudden and hasty emergence. It was obvious from his demeanor that something was terribly wrong.

Before she could ask about it he flourished his wand, sending a soft blue pulse washing over her. It didn't hurt, it was simply a charm to remove magical concealment. Harry breathed a tremendous sigh of relief as he looked on and saw his wife still standing there looking perplexed.

"What the hell was that all about," Hermione asked.

"Sorry love, I just had to make sure" Harry said while wrapping his arms tightly around his wife.

Once he let go she looked up, "Whats wrong Harry, what's happening?"

"It's Ron, hes escaped and has Draco somewhere, we have to find them," Harry replied in haste.

"Luna, and Lily," Hermione cried, fear taking a tight hold over her soul, "We have to get to them."

Harry nodded and took Hermione's hand as they quickly made their way outside. Once there they appaerated away.

They arrived a moment later at Draco and Lunas cottage. They tore up the stairs and knocked with a harden frenzy on the door. Luna answered a minute later, smiling while holding Harry and Hermione's daughter in her arms. Luna's smile faded once she saw the looks on her friends faces.

Without speaking Harry once again flourished his wand, making sure Luna was really Luna. She was and Harry and Hermione quickly made their way inside.

"What is guys, whats wrong," Luna asked in a quiet voice, feeling fear for the countenance of her friends.

Harry quickly explained and Lunas face was suddenly awash in gut wrenching fear.

"What are we going to do," she asked through her fear.

"We'll find him Luna, I promise, Hermione and I are going to head to headquarters. I just hope Dracos tracer is still in his boot. If it is we'll be able to lock onto his position. Its muggle in conception so wizards like the trash we're probably dealing with wont have any idea what it is. I'm going to tighten the wards here so even a fly can't get through, you stay here and keep Lily safe. I promise we will get him back," Harry said, taking Luna's arm and looking deep into her eyes, which were beginning to form a misty haze.

She nodded and Harry once again took Hermione by the hand and quickly rushed outside.

Once they were gone Lunas face shifted, no longer holding a look of fear, but now held a certain blank, serene and vacuous expression.

A figure materialized out of nowhere, a deadly fire lit in his cold eyes. Ron held his wand firm pointing it at Luna, sending the silent imperious curse flowing through her. His face broke into a malicious sneer.

"Good my dear, now we can move on to the next step, which is moving you and your dear husband to where I want those two fuckers to end up. Oh and little Lily as well," he said in a vile tone, holding out his arms to take the child from Lunas outstretched hands.

Once she felt his touch Lily began to cry, causing Ron to smile wickedly, "Not to worry my dear, soon all of your problems will be at an end, soon you and your parents will be dead."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 10

Harry and Hermione struck the ground hard and hastened their way up and into their headquarters. Once inside they quickly made their way into the heart and center of their operation, their Intel and surveillance room. Hermione immediately rushed to her work station and switched on her computer. Harry stood hovering over her, a look of worried anticipation etched over his face. A look of steely determination was written deep in his piercing green eyes.

He looked on as Hermione quickly brought up their satellite tracking link.

"Are you getting a signal," Harry asked in a hurried tone.

"Yes, I can't say if it's where he has Draco but it's where the tracking device is," Hermione quickly answered bringing up the exact location on the screen.

They both stared ahead as the screen locked firm on to a single point.

"It seems to be coming from a point in Hogsmead, wait there," she said pointing to the screen, "the shrieking shack, thats where it's coming from."

"Can you bring up thermals," Harry asked.

Hermione began pounding keys, bringing up the teams thermal satellite scans.

"Seven inside, spread throughout the house, it's an obvious trap," she said looking at the glowing outlines of the houses inhabitants on the screen.

"Can you pinpoint Draco's location?"

She slowly scanned the whole of the house, "Their is someone bound in one of the bedrooms, thats probably him," she answered as Harry turned to prepare himself for the struggle he knew that lay ahead. Seems Ron's found some assistance in this pursuit, Harry thought to himself. It wasn't surprising, he knew that he and Draco had made some truly horrible enemies through their exploits in recent years. Who they were and how they managed to spring Ron, Harry didn't know. He had just finished putting on his tactical gear when he heard a shrill cry of painful horror coming from his wife. He turned to find her hand shaking over her mouth as fresh and true tears began to form in her eyes.

He quickly rushed to her side, "What is it, whats the matter," he asked in true concern.

She couldn't answer, her voice out of crippling fear had abandoned her, she shook her head violently as she pointed to the screen. Harry turned his head and looked as fears icy dagger plunged itself deep into Harry's core. He looked at the unmistakable thermal scan of a small child being held firm by a much larger figure. He had no doubt as to the child's identity, and that revelation hit hard, striking the very center of all that Harry had inside himself that made him human, that made him a father.

His soul in that moment seemed to freeze, going cold. He couldn't think properly as the icy feelings gave birth to the darkest and deepest of rages. He had brought this on his family, he thought. In his desperate attempts to shield them from the horrors of this world he had himself given birth to this threat. It was through his actions that had now brought them to their doorstep.

His mind went dark, he saw only death, death for those responsible for this assault.

"Stay here, I'll handle this, I promise my love I will get her back," Harry said with a voice full of determined fury.

Harry turned to leave and his arm was caught and held firm by his wife, who was no longer crying or shaking. Now she stood quiet as she had found that deep within her rose a sense of uncontrollable fury. Never had she felt such fear, or anger and it had given birth to a dark malicious desire to hurt the ones who dared touch the sweet innocence that was her child. Her child, born of her body, she was a part, a deep and sacred part of Hermione's soul. If there is a genuine truth in this world it's that you do not mess with a mother's child.

"No." she said firmly, still holding strong onto Harry's arm, "no, I'm not letting you face these pieces of shit alone. I'm going and believe me if they've hurt her they will know a fury that would send shivers up the devils spine," she said with a quiet and yet still entirely frightening tone.

Harry looked down, determined not to risk anymore people he love, "Not a chance, it's to dangerous."

"Dangerous, dangerous, you think that worries me," she began with a maniacal laugh, "I'll show them dangerous. After this no one will dare fuck with our children, and I am going, and let me tell you something. If you want a taste of what these bastards have in store for them then just try to stop me."

Harry simply stared deeply in her dark chocolate eyes and found the hellish fire that had sprung up deep within her. He knew then that she finally understood and that being the case his attempts to keep her out of this was an entirely futile. He simply nodded, resigned to the fact that she would see this through to the end with him, no matter what happened. He waved his wand, calling forth his and Draco's full automatic assault rifles. Handing Draco's to Hermione.

"Do you know how to use it," he asked.

She ejected the magazine, checking the clip. After finding it fully loaded she slapped it back in hard and slammed the cocking mechanism with verve. Giving harry her answer with her eyes as she held the weapon firm in her steady hands. He motioned to a set of his magically enhanced armor, beckoning her to put it on. She did in a frenzied pace, and once she was ready he took her hand and they exited the house to meet their fate.

Meanwhile Draco still struggled hard against his bounds, he had been moved and since released from the bounds of the body binding curse he had been trying desperately to reach his sheathed blade in his boot.

He looked around at his new surroundings. He seemed to be in a empty room in some ram shackled house. He could hear quick and frenzied movement coming from the rooms around him. He knew Harry would soon arrive, knowing his tracer was still secure in his boot. He only hoped his best friend and partner would realize this was a trap and act accordingly.

He was almost there as he reached with all his strength, lowering his tied hands down his leg, just barely being able to feel the blades handle. His shoulders cried in pain, feeling as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. He could feel his fingers close around the handle. He gave one last desperate thrust and securely locked his hand around the knife. He unsheathed it in one furious motion, feeling great relief wash over him. He repositioned himself and began working the blade against the harsh ropes that held he firm. They where magical in origin but they hadn't figured on Draco having a blade magically enhanced dagger to deal with such traps. He almost had the ropes cut away when the door to his room was opened and a dark figure began lurking in.

Draco stopped his pursuit for freedom at once and concealed the blade flat against his palm behind his back. He looked in terrible wrath as Ron merrily made his way into the room.

He sneered evilly at Draco as he stood before him, "Almost at the end Malfoy, I figure their on their way. So you've outlived your usefulness. But please don't think I'm not thinking of you, no my friend, I've devised a method of death for you that I believe will cut most deep," Ron said in a calm, lifeless manner.

Draco looked in horror as Ron motioned to the door, beckoning a small and slender figure to enter the room. Draco looked on in painful fear as Luna made her way over to where Ron stood. Draco could tell from the look on Luna's face she was imperised, and was now under Ron's control.

"You miserable fucker, let her go, she has nothing to do with this," Draco cried while resuming working his bounds with his hidden blade.

"No, no I don't think so, today your all going to feel the pain you've caused me, today I taste sweet revenge," Ron answered with a heinously evil smirk. One Draco longed to just rip off his face.

"Your not going to win Weasley, Harry's more than you or any of your sorry associates can handle," Draco said with a defiant pride.

Ron simply laughed, a laugh of pure insanity, "Maybe so Malfoy but he does have his weaknesses, the chief being his heart, which in the end is what will defeat him. After all who could act rationally with their child in deadly peril."

"Lily," Draco said as a new dire fear woke deep in his already plagued soul, "you are a sick fuck Weasley and I promise your going to get yours."

"Maybe I will one day, but i don't think that day has come just yet. Well I have to go and make things ready for our honored guests. So I guess this is goodbye, for both of you," Ron said in a voice oozing with murderous lust.

Ron then pulled a long dagger from behind him and handed it to Luna, "Now my dear if you would be so kind as to slash your husbands miserable throat, and after do the same to yourself," Ron said patting her gently on the shoulder as he did.

Luna took firm hold of the blade as Ron turned and stepped gingerly from the room. She advanced on Draco with a blank mindless stare, knife held close, ready to deliver the fatal blow.


End file.
